Hunting Season
by F4llon
Summary: Ava series part 3 — Callen is recovering away from his family and team. Janvier remains on the loose as the team try to gain information to his where abouts. Things are changing in Half Moon Bay while Callen remains away. Will Callen be ready when Janvier comes? Will his team be able to find Janiver in time? Involves whole team.
1. Chapter 1

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

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**Chapter 1**

_**Illinois**_

It had been the longest and most challenging two months in all of Callen's life. Never before had he felt so out of control of his body and emotions. The usually emotionless seasoned agent, who was good at compartmentalising the horror he saw on his job, fell apart after two months of intensive physiotherapy, at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. He thought he was tough, but this therapy had been hard. He had been pushed to his limits. The only familiar face he had seen was that of his father's, who drove him each day for his therapy sessions, pushing him along in the wheelchair and helped him move from his bed to the chair and into the bathroom. The house they lived in was situated on Fox Lake, in the north west region of Illinois, a good hour's drive from the Institute. Nothing else mattered more to him at that moment, than to get his strength back into his limbs, so he could return home. Not to his Los Angeles home which remained sparsely furnished, but to Half Moon Bay, where Ava and their children lived. It had frustrated him to be shut away from his family and his team, to be another alias. He had accepted the reason why it had to be this way, as he was in no fit state to protect himself, let alone anyone else.

But this alias had to be the one he disliked the most, of all the aliases he had been in his life. It wasn't that he couldn't be Patrick Greer, because the truth be known, he slotted into being him easily enough. It wasn't like he had a choice in the matter either. Patrick Greer was an invalid, dependent on his father, James. Callen had to admit, that although he despised his new alias, Granger's alias was another story. He was kind, always tending to his son's needs —- which were a lot, seeing he was weak. James Greer didn't have walls up around him, nor was he rude. He was a good father and Callen hoped James Greer stayed and Owen Granger disappeared forever. The two had found a common ground on which to bond, not long after their arrival to Chicago. Callen had been in the foulest of moods with his father and Owen had had enough. Both men had to put who they were behind them and be James and Patrick —-father and son. What James did next, changed everything for Patrick. He broke down the barriers of Callen, the real man inside the new alias, when he took him to an animal rescue centre to buy him a dog. Patrick had refused at first when James wheeled him inside, but one dog in particular, immediately caught his attention.

"Buddy!" Before Callen could stop himself, the name was out. In the far end of the cages, sat a two year old Chesapeake Bay Retriever that reminded him of his old dog, Buddy. The truth was, the dog hadn't been his in the first place, but belonged to his old partner, Peter Winters. Pete had turned up at the hospital to pick him up with the young pup hidden in his bag. Callen had bonded with the pup immediately, which had taken him by surprise, seeing he'd never had the opportunity to bond with an animal before. Pete knew it would help the younger man, who had been passed from foster home to foster home between the ages of five and fifteen. And right Pete had been. But what Pete hadn't envisioned, was his own death, which caused the events of separation of man and dog. It had been heartbreaking for Callen. But now, here he was as Patrick, with his real father, buying him a dog. He was speechless. For the first time since he had left Ava, Tom and Bronte, Callen let his walls come tumbling down and became his alias, Patrick. The loved son of James Greer.

James asked a staff member to open the cage after he had seen Callen's reaction. The dog was shy, but intrigued by the wheelchair. Slowly she stepped out of her cage and sniffed Callen. Callen's heart swelled with love immediately and gently rubbed behind her ears. He was thanked by the bitch with licks on his hands and arms, causing Callen to laugh.

"We'll take her." James told the staff member, before following them out to the office to fill in the necessary paperwork and make the payment for her.

The very subject of Callen's mind barked from excitement as she sat beside him in the boat, as they headed out onto Fox Lake to a hide. The cooler weather had brought a golden display of reds, oranges and yellows as fall came into full swing, and the beginning of the hunting season.

James had thought the trip out in the clear crisp air would be good for his son after two months of intensive physical therapy. Vapour from each breath danced in front of them as they made their way across the serene lake. The day was early, with the sun only just beginning to peep over the horizon, creating an mixture of amber and pink glow into the dark sky. Molly barked again as she felt the excitement of the trip. Patrick's mood had lifted as he held the smooth cool rifle in his hands. Finally, he felt control return to his life, if only it meant he could train with the rifle, shooting at tins stacked on a wooden fence post and now at waterfowl. Patrick almost felt giddy with excitement on the first day that his father had set the tins up on the fence and handed him the .22 rifle. The practise had gone better than either men had envisioned, resulting in this trip out onto the lake.

Patrick rubbed Molly's warm coat up and down her strong back. Since they had brought her to the Lake house, she had become strong and put meat and muscle onto her once neglected lean body. Now she thrived on love, a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. Molly licked Patrick's cheek with love as they sat on the boat. The two had become the best of friends in a matter of days, bringing a smile on James' face. Even he had softened on the inside from the unconditional love the bitch gave them both. She made them a family, breaking down the sharp edged walls both men had built to survive the harshness of their lives. Whether it be from the need of survival or from what they experienced from their dangerous work.

Molly jumped off the boat onto the hide's platform, ready for Patrick's first day hunting. They would need Molly to run and fetch their fowl, if they were successful in hitting their target. James had taught Molly while Patrick was at therapy, so she would be ready for this day. This excursion would test Patrick's ability at shooting moving targets. He would need this skill for survival if and when his nemesis found him. For now, James prayed that Marcel Janvier had fallen for the ploy that he had succeeded in killing Callen with the cyanide. How close the Frenchman had come to this goal, frightened Owen to the core. But they all knew how clever Janvier was, and that he knew only too well the games they also played; such as when Callen pretended to kill Janvier in public, to fool the Iranians. Then they played Janvier again to trade him for Callen, all to protect the CIA's asset: code name Cherokee, in the Persian country. Since then they had played Janvier in the fake killing of the Day family, but Sidorov had found them. If he new who Quinn really was, he probably found out that Ava and her children were still alive. They hoped that he hadn't had the opportunity to tell Janvier. It was too close of a call, which almost saw them lose Ava a second time. Hence the decision to remove Callen from his family and team, to keep himself hidden and everyone he cared about safe. Callen needed time to heal from the poisoning, to gain the use of his limbs and strength again, while his team searched for Janvier. Owen had been open with Callen once they were alone and away from Stanford Hospital, about Janvier's escape. It helped Callen deal with the situation they were faced with and the need for him to hide for the moment.

_**Los Angeles**_

Henrietta Lange greeted the former SEAL as he entered the mission. He looked tired, which proved to the old spy that he was still losing sleep from worrying over his partner. "Mr Hanna, you need to get more sleep before you put your team at risk in the field."

"Hetty!" Sam's shoulders drooped as he place his bag beside his desk. He looked over at Callen's desk hoping that today would be the day he would waltz in and crack some smart comment about his appearance. He would put up with it, just to have him back. He missed his brother. It wasn't that he didn't work well with his temporary partner, because Nell had proved her worth over the past two months. Besides each case, Nell and Eric had worked tirelessly in finding the French arms dealer. So far nothing had come close. Not one single hit, locally or internationally. It was as if the Chameleon had become someone else. It was possible. He had done this before, alluding them years earlier. However, as long as Janvier was still alive, all of them, especially his partner, were in danger.

Hetty left him to sulk at his desk while Nell finished her analysis of the latest intel, she and Eric had procured. She poured herself a cup of Peking tea as it reminded her of all the times she had sat with her team leader and bonded. She missed him dearly, as if he was her son. She had to admit, the mission was not the same without him. She tried to persuade herself that he was undercover on an active operation and his cheeky smirk would greet her on his return. But the past two months had been long and frustrating for them all. It had been too long since she had heard from Owen, she had no idea how Callen was doing. She hoped they had learned to play nice and not killed each other yet. She looked up as she heard Nell's light footwork make their way down the stairs to her partner.

"Hey, Sam!"

Hetty was amazed at the spring in the young woman's appearance, knowing too well she had stayed well into the night on this latest task she had been given.

Sam raised his tired eyes and nodded to Nell. "Hey!"

"Let's go!" Nell moved her head in the direction of the door, causing Sam to furrow his brow in confusion. "We're needed in the boat shed. The so called nurse, Jaquie Ghilas was released into our custody from Cedar-Sinai Medical Centre last night. Deeks and Kensi are waiting for us."

Sam grabbed his keys and quickly followed. The team had waited two months before they were allowed to question their suspect. She had sustained two bullet wounds and concussion from their last meeting. The fact she was the woman who had swapped the tablets with the cyanide laced ones, made the team tense as they met in the main room of the boat shed.

"So how are we going to do this?" Deeks asked their temporary team leader.

Sam had waited for this opportunity for too long, but now he hesitated, unsure on how to proceed. His anger had not waned in the two months towards the woman, but time and meditation had given him some kind of peace knowing that Callen was still alive. It was this peace he wondered whether the woman would pick up on and their ploy of making it appear that Callen was truly dead, fail.

Kensi placed her hand on his shoulder. "Sam?"

Sam looked to his team, proud on how they had carried on without G. "Nell, do you have any questions you want to ask her in particular?"

Nell grinned at the team. They had supported her and made her work hard to earn her place amongst them. She had thrived on the challenge and made them proud. The fact that Sam looked to her for moments like this, had her beaming. She knew the real reason was she because outsmarted them all. If this woman was as clever as Janvier, they needed Nell. "I do actually."

Sam nodded and let her lead the way into the interrogation room, holding their suspect.

The woman turned and glared at Nell and Sam as they entered the small room. "Negré." She spat out as she saw Sam enter the room.

"What did you say?" Sam's body fuelled with anger towards the French woman, lifted her out of her seat and pressed her against the wall. "Tell me again?"

Fear of Sam's power made the woman regret her outburst, although hatred towards him was clearly visible in her eyes.

"Sam! Please. This is not going to help." Nell felt for her partner, for the words the woman spat out at the usually calm former Navy SEAL. She had so much respect for his ability to control his emotions. But the past few months had taken a toll on his emotional well being. She had been in contact with Nate numerous times on her concerns of what was going on with Callen and the team. She had pleaded for him to return, but due to prior arranged and heavily secret missions, Nate had been kept away. Just when they all desperately needed him.

Sam released the woman and moved into the far corner to allow Nell to question her.

"I want a lawyer," she demanded.

"You're lucky to still be alive. The day you killed a Federal Agent by lacing his tablets with cyanide, you lost your rights for one," Nell advised her, calmly. Now it was her turn to ensure she stayed calm, seeing Sam was on edge with adrenaline pumping through his system.

"Then I have succeed in what I was asked to do." A smirk appeared on the dark haired woman's face.

Sam went to move forward towards the woman, but stopped when Nell gave him the gorgon stare. It was obvious to him Hetty had been secretly training the young woman in more ways than he knew.

"Where is Marcel Janvier?" Nell focused on her task at hand, now that she had managed to keep Sam from strangling the woman.

"Who?" Jaquie Ghilas sat with her arms crossed over her chest with a stupid smirk planted on her face.

It reminded Nell of Callen, when he was playing difficult and smug. She missed Callen and suddenly her emotion took over. "Tell me now, or I will let my partner here loose on you," Nell demanded coldly.

"You mean dog. You should put a leash on him." Jaquie spat back, thinking Nell was harmless.

Nell flipped the table between them onto it's side, taking their suspect by surprise. "Where is Janvier?" Nell leaned over Ghilas and showed her that she meant business, as she growled her question again.

"I have no idea," she finally answered. "The plan was for him to find your agent, G. Callen and finish him off while he lay weak from the cyanide. I didn't know the poisoning would be so successful." Her smirk returned.

A fire lit in Nell's belly as anger raged through her. She surprised herself as she slapped the woman across the face, making the woman's smirk vanish. Nell exited the room to give her time to rein in her emotions, with Sam hot on her heels.

"You okay, Nell?" Sam worried over the effects their suspect had on them both. He looked over to Deeks and Kensi. "She's all yours."

"Oh goody! Just what I always wanted. A real live punching bag. How do you want to play this, Fern?" Deeks asked sarcastically. Neither of them wanted to be in the same room as this racist slurring woman who had almost succeeded in killing Callen.

"You hold, I'll do the punching." Kensi fiend a smile, which they all saw through.

Sam followed Nell outside as he saw her take in deep breaths to calm her nerves. "You did real good in there, Nell. That wasn't an easy interrogation."

Nell looked up at Sam with tears threatening to spill. "I've never had anyone get me so angry before. I haven't slapped anyone across the face since..."

"It doesn't matter, Nell. She deserved it and much more."

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Natalie Walker gripped the porcelain bowl of the toilet as she spewed into its depths again. A wave of dizziness overtook her as she became sweaty and clammy. How she could still be feeling sick at this stage she couldn't understand? It should be settling down by now. She was fourteen weeks pregnant, something she had somehow managed to hide from her father and children, but her fast expanding waistline was making it a challenge, let alone her morning vomiting sessions. She splashed water on her pale face as she looked at herself in the mirror.

"Mom?" Lexi entered the bathroom with concern as she saw how pale her mom looked. "Should I call the doctor?" Her mom had looked unwell since returning home from hospital two weeks earlier. She worried that she had an infection from her wound.

"It's okay, sweetheart. I have an appointment later this morning." She gave her daughter a small smile of reassurance. But the truth was, she missed Callen. She worried over how he was going, not having heard a word on how he was doing since he was airlifted to Stanford Hospital. She followed her daughter down the stairs, taking her time, as her doctor had ordered. Her father looked up with a puzzled expression as he watched her. Realisation hit him there and then, that she was pregnant. He was surprised after all she had been through, but most of all, because he had no idea that she and Callen had been intimate with each other since their relationship had fallen apart, all those years ago.

"When were you going to tell us?" He asked in front of her four children.

Natalie blushed as she concluded her father had worked it out.

Her kids looked between her and their grandpa and back at each other.

"Tell us what?" Ryan asked, confused.

Natalie sighed. "You had to say it in public!" Knowing too well her father had done it deliberately.

"This is not public, Nat. If you want I'll make an announcement at the reopening of the bakery and cafe tomorrow. Now that is what I call public. This..." He waved his hands around them. "Is family." He laughed at her shock expression.

"You wouldn't dare." She worried over how her kids would take the news. She wasn't young anymore. She knew many women her age still had babies, but it wasn't that common, and the risks were increased.

"They're all going to find out soon enough. And there will be questions." He looked over at Lexie as she studied her mom.

"No way! You and dad?" Lexie squealed with delight and hugged her mom. "That's why you've been throwing up every morning."

"I'm missing something here." Ryan, Zac and Mia still hadn't worked it out.

"Mom's pregnant," Lexie announced to her siblings.

Ryan sat down on his chair with his mouth wide open in shock. Zac and Mia walked over and hugged their mom. "We're happy for you, Mom. You deserve to be happy again," Mia told her.

"Ryan?" Gibbs walked over to his eldest grandson. "Are you okay?"

Ryan had a blank look on his face. "I never knew it could happen so easily."

"Pardon?" Ryan's reaction had taken Natalie and everyone else by surprise. She sat down by her son and patiently waited for him to talk. She looked over at her other children. "Can you give us a moment alone, please?"

Lexie, Zac and Mia nodded and walked out of the house for a walk along the beach.

Gibbs and Natalie stayed with Ryan and patiently waited for him to get over the shock of her news. "It's not something your Dad and I planned. It just happened. I was just as shocked as you were, when the doctor told me I was pregnant." Natalie decided to explain, hoping it would help him to open up.

"Is everything okay, son?" Gibbs asked, concern over his grandson was evident in his eyes.

"Gracie's pregnant," Ryan finally revealed. "I'm going to be a...dad."

It was Natalie and Gibbs' turn to sit there in shock at Ryan's news. Ryan and his girlfriend of the past year had fallen pregnant. "Wow, ain't that something," Gibbs slapped his grandson on the back and grinned broadly at him, as he came out of his shock. "Congratulations, son."

Natalie hugged her son. "We're here for you both. You know that don't you? And I'm sure your dad will be too, when he returns."

"I miss him, Mom. I really need him here with us," Ryan admitted.

"I know, Ry. We all do. There'll be a huge family welcome for him when he does. It will be a huge surprise for him, that's for sure." Natalie's pregnancy hormones didn't help her prevent the tears that welled up in her eyes over her son's news. "I am happy for you, Ry. I just can't help it."

"Tell me about it. Gracie's been crying loads too. She's been worried over how her parents will react when they find out." Ryan hugged his mom.

"They don't know yet?"

Ryan shook his head.

"How far along is she?" Natalie inquired. Her son's reaction to her news now made sense to her.

"Eight weeks." The time sunk into each of them. The time of her being shot and almost losing Callen to cyanide poisoning. Ryan had turned to his girlfriend for comfort. Gibbs and Natalie both nodded in understanding over it all.

"Don't leave it too long to tell her parents, okay?" Natalie stood and grabbed some crackers from the pantry. Her stomach grumbled breaking the emotion in the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

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**Chapter 2**

_**San Francisco**_

Marcel Janvier gave a wry grin as he flipped through the images that he had been given by envelope. He rubbed the throbbing pain to the side of his mouth, as the memory of the one who had given him the scar and constant pain, came to the forefront of his mind. "So he thinks he can outsmart me at this game of chess?" Janvier snarled. "I have waited too long for this moment." He shook his head as he looked over the images of Callen with Ava and their children, taken three months earlier. "Dead are they? And yet I am to believe that you are dead also? If your loved ones are still alive in a new city with new identities, then so must you be." He had watched from a distance at the NCIS team rushing off to locations, fighting the enemy and solving cases without their team leader. He saw the hunched shoulders of Sam Hanna as he went about his daily life, alone. He had followed him everywhere, but to no avail. Two whole months and not once had he seen Sam lead him to his partner. He had watched them bury Agent G. Callen so he knew where his supposed body was, but until he saw proof of his faithful opponent's dead body, he did not believe it. "I know you are hiding somewhere, Agent G. Callen and I will find you. Lure you out of your hiding place and seduce you to kill me." He continued to scorn, to no one in particular.

"Père. There you are." Adeline hugged her father, as she placed groceries in the pantry and refrigerator. "I hope you are hungry, Père. I have enough for a feast."

Janvier watched his daughter busy herself in the kitchen, washing vegetables and chopping them ready for cooking. She had grown into a beautiful young woman. He had missed the past couple of years seeing her grow up, yet she had come to visit him so easily. But what she didn't know, was that he was using her to lure a trap for another seventeen year old girl, Alexis Walker. Details had come through of the new identities of G. Callen's family, once the discovery of them actually being alive, reached him. Anger and betrayal had flushed through his veins on the news that he had been played. And although he had vented his anger on killing a woman that he had only met the night before, he managed to calm himself down and plan his next tactical move. Adeline had come to him willingly, unaware of her part in his next move.

"You spoil me, my sweet daughter." He gave her a genuine smile of happiness and love for her, bringing him out of his dark thoughts, if only for a moment. "Are you ready for your first day at an American College?"

"Oui Père." Adeline couldn't believe her luck of being accepted into UCSF. However, she was not sure why her father had suggested that she chose Marine Biology, nor why he suggested she only use part of her first name and her mother's family name on her enrolment. But she did as he had asked, seeing he was the one paying for it. She had managed to get used to being Adel de Forest easily enough, seeing she had begun her life with her mother's family name.

_**Fox Lake, Illinois**_

Patrick smiled at his achievements, as they became more fluid and stronger, after each visit to rehab. His walking was improving, and now he had the approval to go for long walks with Molly, his dog. Such a simple pleasure to walk his new best friend around the neighbourhood, after his two hours of intense weight training and resistance workout. His father matched his pace, pleased with the results. He had paid for his rehabilitation himself, telling his son that he had money untouched for many years. Pleasure was visible in his eyes over his son's development. Like any parent would with a toddler, who had achieved something new. His speech was now flawless, as he talked along their walk, if only Sam could see him now. He was a different man. Not just because of his alias, but because of his experience of living with his father, far away from danger. He breathed in deeply the fresh, crisp air, filling his lungs with it, to heal him from the inside out. For the first time in a real long time, he slept seven hours every night without fail. Nightmares disappeared and he only thought about the good things he had left behind, not the bad. It was part of his healing process. James had him visit a psychologist once a week besides his daily rehabilitation, to heal the whole man. And it was working. His trust issues had been resolved and their relationship was blossoming, as if it was spring. He really was a happy man.

Although, he focused on all of these good things and was making headways towards his goal of getting better, he still missed Ava, their children and his team. Every now and then, James saw the sadness in his son's eyes. The cerulean eyes, which he had inherited from Clara's father, George, became hazy every so often. James wondered how the team was going, in their search for Janvier, and prayed he would hear soon from Hetty, that it was time to come home. Although Hetty would have to get Eric to search for them in their new aliases, as they had vanished without a trace. But he hoped, not for his sake, but his son's. He was savouring the time alone with this son, without the distraction of the job or anyone else. They became two different people, as if their past life didn't exist. Like he was given a clean slate to start all over with his son.

"I wonder how they're going?" Patrick blurted out, while he threw a ball for Molly to chase. He turned and faced his father. "Have you heard anything?" He studied him for a moment, to assess if he knew anything.

James shook his head. "We've been out of contact since Hetty rang my cell, back at Stanford. We're running blind on this one, son. It was too dangerous to bring it with us. No one knows where we are or how to contact us." He was being honest with him and Patrick appreciated it.

"How will be know when we can return?" His eagerness to see Ava, their kids and his team hadn't gone unnoticed.

"You still love her, don't you?" James had avoided the subject of Ava for the past two months, however, now that they were out in the open, he felt it safe for them to chat about their other life.

Patrick nodded and licked his lips. He missed her so much. "We were just getting ourselves on track again, when this all happened. Bronte's high school graduation was a really happy day." Tears welled up in his eyes, as he remembered happier days. "I missed Tom's graduation because of Janvier. It wasn't safe. It still isn't."

"It will be. Eric and Nell will find him, they've got the best technology out there looking for him." James tried to appease him. "Perhaps talking about them isn't a good idea," he stated, concerned over the shadow that hung over his son.

Patrick shook his head. "No, I need to tell you about them. So when we go back, you know who they are."

James stopped in his step, surprised that his son would want him to be part of their lives, after they returned. "You sure you want me in your life when we return?"

Patrick pondered over the past two months that he'd spent with his father. "Yes." His answer was a little more than a whisper, but it held the honesty from inside of him. "Yes I do, Dad." He told him a second time, more firmly.

James turned his head from side to side, hoping to hide the emotions that threatened to bubble to the surface and flood the gates of his brown eyes.

"Dad, it's okay. We'll be okay. We can find a grounding to continue our relationship away from here, I know we can." He stepped closer and hugged him. How much he had come over the past two months, in so many ways. But now, he hugged his father, as if they had been in each other's lives all the time.

James choked on a sob that burst through, as he clung to his son's jacket. He was unfamiliar to the feelings that surged through him. He thought he'd closed up that part of him up forever. After Clara died and he lost his children, he had nothing. He'd become tough on the outside, unlovable, irritating those around him. But slowly, Patrick had peeled the layers of his walls around him. Each achievement from his rehabilitation brought them down. Together, they shared each step, no matter how small they were, and had been bonded together, forever.

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Excitement for the opening of Vanilla Pod Bakery and Cafè, emerged from the Walker house into Main Street. Balloons and streamers decorated the interior of the brand new building, on the same site where the old one once stood. The damage had been so severe, they decided a fresh start was easier, than to deal with the debris of the old one. Dan Walker worked tirelessly alongside his grandchildren and their new found friends in town, in the rebuild. Friends gathered for the opening of the new store, happy for them to trade once again.

Ava became teary when she cut the ribbon that hung over the front door. It was moments like these, when she missed Callen more than ever. She found herself at a loss since her arrival home. G should be here. But he couldn't be, so instead she had visited Matt's grave, tendered to the weeds that had grown around the plaque and placed fresh flowers in the vase. How far her life had sped since Matt had died. He was an honourable man, and her pregnancy to Callen was something she struggled to explain to her husband. Although he was long dead, she felt the need to tell him just the same. How his death had brought them back together.

"Speech!" Friends and family cried out to Natalie Walker, as she turned to face them.

Dan and her children stood beside her, as well as Sandra, her right hand woman. "Thank you," she told them, with tears in her eyes. "You've all become very dear to us, your friendship means more to us than you realise. We couldn't have done this, without your help. First round of coffees are on the house."

Cheers rung out as they piled inside, ready to serve their friends and other customers, who were eager to bring her their money, to help her get her business back on track, after two months of no income.

Ryan and Lexi waved their goodbyes as they bolted to the car, eager to start their new year at UCSF. Ryan had gotten over the shock of his girlfriend Gracie being pregnant and bravely held her hand, when they told her parents the news. They had been shocked, but they understood how the situation had occurred, with all that Ryan and his family had been through. They were far more supportive than either he or Gracie had expected, especially with their offer to look after the baby while they continued with their studies. Their kindness was met with tears by Gracie, and Ryan thanked them for their support.

Lexi was excited about her first day, but it all came tumbling down after one biology class, when she was asked to pair up with a French girl. Although she appeared sweet, she had no idea about their tasks set by their professor, nor was she very good with her English. By the time Lexi met up with Ryan for a lift home, she was in a foul mood.

Ryan looked over at his sister with concern. "What's wrong, sis?" They had always been close, always confiding in each other over the years, especially over their father and his lack of being there for them. It had united them together in a strong bond that would be hard to sever by anyone.

"I wish I had never learnt French," she huffed as she clipped in her seat belt. She kept her head facing away from her brother, feeling foolish over her behaviour.

"You've loved French and the other languages dad and grandpa taught us over the years. You're a natural. You could have studied languages at college instead of Marine Biology and been a star pupil. You've always been far better than I ever was." Ryan spoke with warmth to his sister, revealing how much he loved her, no matter if he thought her behaviour was unnecessary. "What happened?" He kept his eyes on the road, but turned to face her every now and then.

"I was partnered up with a French girl, who knows nothing about biology. I feel like I am babysitting her. All because I topped my class in high school in French. Our Professor thought I would be the best partner for her." Lexi was full of expression, using her hands as she spoke.

"That's strange," Ryan replied, pondering over why a girl with no knowledge about biology would be studying marine biology at college. "I wonder how she got accepted into the course without studying biology before now?" He mulled over his sister's words.

"But that's not all," Lexi went on. "She's latched onto me for every lecture I had afterwards, even at lunch. She doesn't know anyone, so she hangs around me. Her English is minimal, so the only way I can have a real conversation with her, is in her language. One would have thought I had moved to France to study, not her come to the States." Lexi shook her head over her predicament. "Plus, after that Frenchman trying to kill us and our dad, and him being behind Matt dying, I just can't be nice to her. It's put me on edge with every French person I meet."

Ryan pulled over, as something occurred to him. He pulled out his cell and dialled a number.

_**Los Angeles**_

Eric was frantic as he worked alone in Ops. Nell was out in the field with Sam on a stakeout, while Kensi and Deeks talked with their latest victim's unit at Pendleton. A call came through and he was rushed as he answered it, thinking it was just one of the team.

"Hey Eric, it's Ryan." Eric froze, Ryan never called him. Ops was for emergency only, yet the twenty year old appeared calm.

"Hi Ryan, how's it going up there?" Eric put all his focus on his call, knowing it had to be important.

"The Frenchman who wants us and dad dead, does he have any family?" Ryan wasn't sure why he had called Eric to ask him the question, but it was something in his gut that told him to, anyway.

"Yes he does. A Daughter." Eric pulled the file up of Marcel Janvier's daughter. "She's," Eric frowned as she looked at the details, "same age as Lexi. Adeline Janvier, but she spent most of her time with her mother's family name of de Forest. Why do you ask?"

Ryan had his cell on speaker phone and all colour left Lexi's face. Ryan looked at her and he could see the name was familiar. "Eric, we have a problem."

"What's that?" Eric looked at the photo they had found of Janvier's daughter, although it was a few years old now. She was fourteen when the photo was taken of her.

"Janvier has found us. His daughter is at UCSF with Lexi. He must be close." Ryan placed his hand on his sister's, hoping to calm her down. She looked ill, like she was going to throw up.

"I'll call the team. Make sure you're not being followed. Go straight home and tell your grandpa." Concern for Callen's family was detectable in the Technical Operator's voice. He disconnected the call and called Hetty immediately, before sending text messages to the team to return to Ops asap.

"Mr Beale, what is it?" Hetty's voice boomed as she entered the quiet operations room.

Eric swung his seat around to face her. Placed on the large screen was the old photo of Janvier's daughter, Adeline. "She's enrolled in UCSF in Marine Biology alongside Lexi Walker. Janvier knows that they are alive, Hetty."

Henrietta Lange looked at the image of the Frenchman's daughter, to see if there was any visible evidence that she was truly his daughter. Eric threw another image of her that he'd found in the UCSF's database. "This is her now."

"How did she enter the country without our knowledge?" Hetty's voice remained firm, but the volume had reduced to a lighter tone.

"I'm tracing all databases on arrivals into the country from France, over the past two months. So far I haven't found," he turned as a beep came from his computer, "one month ago, she arrived in San Francisco. Damn!" He berated himself for not catching her arrival at the time. It would have saved them a whole month in finding Janvier.

Hetty studied the photos of the girl. "She's changed a lot over the past four years, Mr Beale. There is no way you could have caught her arrival. She's used an alias, Adel de Forest, her mother's name, not her father's. And she's shortened her first name. It says that she's from Paris, but her father's details were left off her personal details." Hetty placed her hand on Eric's shoulder. "Do not blame yourself for not finding this. We've all been under a lot of pressure over the past two months, in search for Janiver. None of us expected for him to bring in his own daughter to get close to one of the Walkers. This is the first sign that Janvier is in the country still, and now we know that he's been given proof of Ava and her children being very much alive. It's time we ended Janvier. When the team arrive, call me. I have some calls to make."

Eric nodded and returned to his computer, in his search for Marcel Janiver in the vicinity of San Francisco. This was their first break, and he had Ryan and Lexi to thank for inheriting their father's intuition about people.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 3**

_**San Francisco**_

Adel almost bounced in with happiness, from her first day at an American College. She smiled and kissed her father as she greeted him.

"Bonjour. Comment êtes-vous, père? J'ai eu un merveilleux premier jour à l'université. Merci beaucoup de m'avoir inscrire ici. Les gens sont très chaleureux et les professeurs sont utiles. J'ai fait un ami, Lexi, elle peut parler couramment le français et aider à expliquer ce que les professeurs veulent que nous fassions.[Hello. How are you, father? I had a wonderful first day at college. Thank you so much for enrolling me here. The people are so friendly and the professors are helpful. I made a friend, Lexi, she can speak fluent in French and help explain what the Professors want us to do.]

Marcel Janvier smiled back at his daughter, pleased on a successful first day at college. His plan was going smoothly. He'd asked the professors to find a friend for his daughter, one who could speak fluently in her natural language, so he wasn't surprised at all over hearing about her day. He'd researched Alexis Walker's school file and saw she topped her class in French, alongside every other class she took in her senior year at Half Moon Bay High School. She was valedictorian for graduation back in June and she was expected to do well at UCSF. He had studied the photograph of the girl and saw just how much she was alike her aunt, Amy Callen. He chuckled over the eleven year old's drowning from all of those years ago. It had been easy to deal with the girl, but her brother had been a challenging one. He'd paid his foster fathers a lot of money to beat and emotionally abuse the boy, yet he'd still survived and become one of the country's best federal agents that he'd ever seen. When he met him face to face, he'd been in too much pain to revel in his joy at coming so close to killing him. It had annoyed him immensely at how close he came to being killed by G. Callen. It had consumed him since then to ensure he outsmarted the younger man, although he could see how intelligent he was. His abusive and unloved upbringing hadn't dulled his intuition nor his intelligence. His mother had been brilliant, so he was prepared for a fight. It had turned out more pleasurable to play the game of chess with the youngest member of the Callens. However, he realised that the cerulean eyed agent was very careful in all that he did. It had surprised him when his contacts told him about G. Callen having a family. A son and a daughter from a previous relationship; the son a young man, the spitting image of his father, the daughter a beautiful sixteen year old. The same age as his own daughter. He had almost succeeded in destroying his family, but G. Callen had proved to be one step ahead of him, fooling him into believing he had killed all that he cared for. He'd worked on his plan to escape and destroy his team, the last of who he cared for, in hope he'd destroy the very essence of the man, in seducing him to kill him. But so far he had failed. Now his new plan to lure him out of hiding, from the danger he posed to his children, was proving easier than he'd ever envisioned.

"I am pleased for you, Adeline. My sweet daughter. You will make me proud." He kissed her on the forehead, before she went off to her bedroom to study.

_**Los Angeles**_

Every muscle in Sam Hanna's body was tense under his chocolate brown long sleeve Henley. His matching brown eyes were intense as he listened into the information that Eric filled them in, on Janvier's daughter. "One of Sidorov's men must have passed on the information to him, before we killed them all." It was the only explanation any of them could procure, to explain how the Frenchman had discovered that Callen's family was indeed alive. "We've got to get up there now." Sam's patience was running thin. He'd missed his partner too much over the past two months. Not knowing where he was or how he was recovering from his latest poisoning, was having a heavy toll on the former SEAL.

"If we go rushing up there, Mr Hanna, we'll alert Janvier and he'll flee. We need to play this game of chess to the same level as the Frenchman. Otherwise, the life of the Walkers and that of Mr Callen will forever be at risk. We need to end him, but he knows who we all are. After the events in Washington D.C., he also knows whose on Agent Gibbs' team. We need to come up with a plan, to lure him out and end him for good." Hetty had spent the last hour on the phone with Director Vance and Agent Gibbs, on how to deal with the new intel. "We have one member of Agent Gibbs' team whom we believe can help us lure Janvier out of hiding." All eyes were on her petite form as she delivered her thoughts. "Agent Bishop has not been seen by Marcel Janvier as yet. My suggestion is to place her at UCSF as a professor, to keep a close eye on Alexis and Ms de Forest. I very much doubt that Adeline is aware of her father's dealings in illegal arms and his plan. She is only the puppet, he's the puppet master. If Janvier is tapping into the security system at UCSF and spots anyone from the team, our move will be exposed. No one from this team will be seen in the vicinity of San Francisco. Do I make myself clear, Mr Hanna?" Her gorgon stare fixed on her agent in charge.

Sam shrugged, not liking the idea one bit, however, he knew Hetty was right. "So what do you want us to do, Hetty? We can't stay here and ignore his threat near the Walkers."

"Agent Gibbs is in Half Moon Bay, so we know that they aren't alone. Young Mr Walker proved his ability at shooting at the armed Russians, two months ago. And as far as I am aware, Agent Gibbs has been training Alexis in weaponry as well. Although they are young, they can defend themselves well. In martial arts as well as in shooting a weapon. Agent Gibbs has assured me that both of this older grandchildren possess their father and grandfather's gut instincts, which has led to Alexis and Ryan both being suspicious over Adeline's appearance at UCSF. We're one step ahead of Janvier on this, let's not screw it up, people."

"But Hetty, we need to do something." Kensi stepped forward, feeling Sam's frustration of not going to San Francisco.

"Actually there is." Hetty looked to her team. "We need to find Mr Callen and Assistant Director Granger. They have vanished without a trace. Any record of Mr Callen's treatment was erased from Stanford Hospital, two months ago. The medical staff who tended to him, have signed agreements never to say a word about him ever being there, or his new alias. However, there is a chance that the doctor in charge knows where Granger took Mr Callen for his treatment. All the staff were relocated around the country two months ago, in hope to make it impossible for Janvier to find them and get the intel out of them. The doctor who treated Mr Callen, is now living in D.C. Director Vance has arranged for Dr Mallard to visit him and seek out the information of this location." Hetty looked at her watch. "He is due to make contact with Dr Murphy in the next hour. We hope we'll have the location soon after that and send you on your way to find them. "Until then, I suggest you get some sleep. You all look like you could do with some. Go home, have a shower, clean clothes and rest up. Be ready with your go bags as soon as you hear from me." She looked to Eric. "That means you too, Mr Beale." Her concern over the past two months on her people laid heavily on her shoulders.

She exited the room and entered the armoury, in search for the information that she hid there. The envelope with details about Mr Callen that she had ready to give him, in the event of her death. She slit open the seal and pondered over the details inside. She shook her head at what additional information she had since procuring this intel for her team leader. Inside it was details of his sister's death, which she had suspected to have been more than a mere accident. She'd searched in her own time and found what she'd been looking for. Proof that Marcel Janvier had been in the vicinity of the river, where Amy drowned. Tears spilled down her cheeks as she remembered the blue eyed blonde haired girl. She was so worried about her baby brother and she missed him dearly. "I'm so sorry, Amelia. I should have done more to protect you from this man."

"Hetty?" Nell Jones quietly walked up to the older woman. She'd been concerned for her over the past two months. She knew she held Callen dearly in her heart and missed him too. Just as much as Sam did, she realised. If not more.

Hetty quickly wiped her tears aways before facing her Intelligence Analyst. "Miss Jones."

Nell's eyes scanned to the sheet of paper that Hetty had been reading. "Janvier killed his sister?" Her voice raised in pitch over the discovery of this new information.

"And burned Clara's identity to the Comescus," Hetty admitted. "I had a feeling after the efforts Janvier has gone to deeply hurt Mr Callen, that this went deeper than him shooting him in the jaw, Miss Jones. It appears that Clara killed Janiver's mother and sister, many years ago. This has been personal all along. Even before Mr Callen knew Janvier ever existed. I've done some digging of my own and found this." Hetty passed the evidence over to Nell, who quickly scanned the information into her brain.

Nell shook her head in disbelief. "This is why you don't want any of us going anywhere near him," Nell concluded. "And why Callen's disappeared without a trace. So why now, Hetty? Why do you want to know where Ganger has taken Callen? Aren't they safer where they are?"

"I need to know for my own conscience, that Mr Callen is indeed safe from Janvier, Miss Jones. To know that he is recovering well from the poisoning and that he and Owen haven't killed each other yet. But also, it appears, that Janvier has already spent the past two months searching for Mr Callen, following Mr Hanna's movement and come up with nothing. This is his plan B," Hetty surmised. His plan A, was to find Mr Callen, weak and ill from the cyanide poisoning and end him, as per the admission from Jaquie Ghilas."

Memories of their meeting only a few days earlier came flooding back to Nell, making her become tense with anger flaring in her hazel eyes. "Yes, I remember." Nell handed the sheet of paper back to Hetty and asked to look at the rest.

Hetty sighed and succumbed to her request. "I don't know why I've tried to hide this from him. I wanted to protect him from being hurt any further, but now none of it seems important anymore. The truth is that Owen Granger is is father, he'd tried to find his son and daughter, only to discover his daughter was dead, years after the fact. The information in here was a vain attempt by myself to find his father, coming to dead ends at every step. I wanted to give Mr Callen the full truth, not half of it. When Vasile Comescu took Michael Rhinehart and we were given the name, Nikita Reznikov, it was only then that all the missing pieces of who Mr Callen's father really was, came together. When I approached Owen about it, he at first tried to deny it. But he was never good being in pain, and he admitted it to me soon enough." She shook her head at the memory from the year before. "He's as stubborn as his son. Both men may not look like father and son, but you can see it in their character. It's almost laughable, if the effects of years being apart, haven't taken such a toll on them both." She pulled out a photo of George Callen, Clara's father. "There is no denying whose grandson he is though."

Nell studied the black and white photograph of George Callen. "Has Callen ever seen this photo?"

Hetty shook her head. "No. I only gave him a photo of his mother, Clara. I never thought it necessary to pass this onto him. Perhaps I was wrong. I tried so hard to protect him from being hurt any further than he's already been."

Nell placed her hand on Hetty's shoulder to soothe her. "You've done more than most, Hetty. He knows that you care deeply for him." Nell looked back at the information and raised her brow. "Have you seen this?" Nell handed the page back to her boss, pointing to the paragraph in question. "All of these foster parents who Callen ran away from. Have you ever asked Callen why he ran from them?"

"He said they abused him. He'd end up in hospital every few months with broken bones or bruises that the teachers would discover. Then there were the mental and emotional abuse he suffered as well." Hetty's eyes glistened as more tears threatened. "He's had a horrible life, Miss Jones. I have tried to give him the family he deserved, here with the team."

"But no other children in their care complained. Only Callen was targeted," Nell added.

Hetty took another look at the details and wondered how she had missed it. Even after all of these years, she hadn't realised that he was the only child who suffered at the hands of these foster fathers. Fear for Mr Callen grew within her, as she left the armoury for her office. Nell followed her and waited patiently, as she watched the older woman open up her laptop and typed away. Hetty shook her head and her whole body sagged from what she had discovered. She looked up sadly to her protège, "I failed him, Miss Jones. I could have protected him from all of this, I cannot believe I missed this."

Nell moved around the carved desk to look over Hetty's shoulder. She narrowed her eyes, when she found the evidence Hetty had searched for.

"Just like his sister. Janvier played Mr Callen all of these years." Images of Janvier meeting the foster fathers in question for payment of abusing the boy were caught on camera from local businesses. She was thankful for the FBI's presence in spying across the country back in the seventies and eighties, she only wished she had found this evidence a long time ago. She looked up at Nell with anger. "It's time, Miss Jones to end this bastard for good."

"I can't believe it's been going on for so long," Nell breathed out. "All because Callen's mom had killed his mother and sister. He never had a choice in this, not even after that run in with him when Callen shot him. I bet Callen wishes he'd died a few years back or had left him in Iran to suffer. It just gets worse and worse for him."

"I assure you, Miss Jones, had I any knowledge of this information years earlier, I would have put a bullet into his skull a long time ago." She had no qualms after all the pain and suffering Janvier had put on her boy. "Now, Miss Jones, you should join your team and go home. When I have news, I will call you back in."

Nell nodded, although she wasn't sure how she could rest with the recent information Hetty had shared with her. Her usual bounce in her step was missing as she exited the Spanish style mission for home. Something Hetty observed and frowned over. She had tried hard to keep details such as this from her team, in order to protect them. But now she felt she needed to share it with someone, the whole Janvier saga was ageing her fast.

Nell pulled up outside her apartment and entered the building. Her alertness was high as she looked around, to ensure she wasn't being followed. A trait she had learned early on, especially after Sam had stressed it to her on her arrival to the team. The loss of Dom had scarred the former Navy SEAL deeply, who strongly felt the need to protect those around him, in every way he could. She unlocked her apartment door and unzipped her boots. She locked and bolted her door behind her and stripped as she walked towards her bathroom. She was beyond exhausted, but her mind continued to race at fast speeds, over all the information Hetty had told her. Her mind continued to think about Callen while she stood under the steaming hot water, that pelted over her petite figure. How did Janiver know where to find Amy and Callen? Hadn't they been hidden for their safety? Who had told Janiver about Ava and her children? Her mind rummaged through all the intel she had gathered over the past two months, but still she had come up with nothing. Jaques Ghilas had told them nothing to help them, so they sent her off eagerly to the FBI, who cuffed her, while she cast out racial slurs to Sam, screaming at them all, "you're all dead men." Her French accent accentuated her hatred for them all. More for the fact that they had killed her husband, than for her support for Janvier's own revenge.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 4**

_**Washington D.C.**_

Ducky entered the George Washington University Hospital for his meeting with Dr Sean Murphy. He entered the elevator and took off his hat, as he waited to arrive on the sixth floor. He held his hat and bag in his hands as he turned left for the nurse's station. A nurse in her forties looked up and smiled at Dr Mallard. "Ducky, what have we done to deserve a visit from you? It's been too long." She walked around the desk and hugged him.

"Hello Maggie, how are you, my dear?" Ducky smiled at the brunette, who had won his heart many years before. Her husband had been a marine and was tragically killed whilst on duty. Ducky had been assigned to his autopsy and helped Gibbs find the truth behind his death. It had been a set up to look like he'd been killed in crossfire from terrorists. But the truth was, that he'd been killed by another member in his team, who was secretly stealing ancient jewels from Sadam Hussain's palace in Bagdad. Maggie had been grateful to Ducky and Agent Gibbs for their help in arresting the man who had killed her husband. Steve was a good marine and he didn't deserve to die young.

"I'm good thanks, Ducky. Really good." She smiled at the older man. "I've found myself another good man. Another marine, in fact." Her smile broadened. "We've been together for six months now, and he asked me to marry him last week."

Ducky returned her smile and congratulated her. He was pleased that she had found happiness again, after losing her husband five years earlier. "Congratulations, Maggie. I'm very happy for you."

"Thank you, Ducky." Her smile reached her green eyes, showing just how grateful she was for the man before her. "Are you here to see someone?" She wondered whether it was a professional or personal visit.

Ducky nodded. "I have an appointment with Dr Sean Murphy."

Maggie tilted her head, surprised by this news. "He's only been here a short while, I am surprised you've heard of him." She led him down the corridor. "He keeps to himself, other than dealing with patients' needs. He appears to be very thorough and good at what he does. We just haven't gotten to know him yet." She knocked on a door, with the doctor's name in brass stuck to it.

She opened and announced Ducky's visit.

"Hello, Maggie. Thank you." Dr Murphy stood and walked over to shake Ducky's hand. "Hello, Dr Mallard. Please take a seat." Sean walked back around to his chair and settled in. "What can I do for you, Dr Mallard?"

Ducky smiled at Maggie and waited for her to leave the office. He returned to face the doctor and became serious. "I understand you treated a patient with cyanide poisoning, two months ago at Stanford."

Dr Murphy kept his expression blank, as he waited for Ducky to continue.

"You see, I am a doctor, psychologist and Medical Examiner for NCIS, here in D.C. My Director has asked me to pay this visit, in hope that you can help us find two of our people. Our agent, who has gone into hiding with his father, we understand you treated him two months ago for cyanide poisoning. We need to find them, urgently. It is of most importance, due to a dangerous enemy of this agent's desire to kill all that is important to him and to end his life as well. We've found the location of this villain, who has found his children. We believe you know which facility our agent was transferred to, in his recovery from the poisoning."

Dr Murphy narrowed his eyes. "Any patients I have treated in the past, their medical records are kept private. If I have ever treated such a person as you think that I have, I have no knowledge if he was an agent of NCIS. My transfer from Stanford to GWU Hospital was never from decisions made by myself. However, I was moved and told to sign papers over a patient I had recently treated. Unless you have a warrant by a judge, I cannot help you."

Ducky smiled, pleased by the doctor's admission. He pulled the warrant out of his bag and handed it over to Dr Murphy.

Dr Murphy opened the warrant and read it through carefully. He gently closed it and nodded. He grabbed his pen and scribbled down on a notepad, which he handed over to Ducky. "This is the information you need."

Ducky stood and thanked the doctor. "Your help in this matter is much appreciated. If you need further clarification over who I am, Maggie Dalton, the nurse who brought me in, can tell you who I am. She's known me and the agents I work with for five years."

"Thank you, Dr Mallard, but the warrant is suffice." The two doctors shook hands, before Ducky left the office. He waved goodbye to Maggie, before entering the elevator. He placed his hat back on his head, ready to walk back out into the cool September air. It took Ducky a further twenty minutes to drive back to the Navy Yard, where he walked straight in to see Director Vance.

"Ducky, was your trip successful?"

"Yes it was, Director. Dr Murphy was proper in his wariness for providing information on his patients, which I respect wholly. The warrant came in good use." He handed the notepaper over to Vance. "We should find Agent Callen and Assistant Director Granger in the Chicago area."

Leon Vance nodded, pleased Ducky's visit had been successful. "Thank you Ducky for your assistance. I have a call to make." He waited for Ducky to leave his office, before leaving for MTAC. We waited for his Operations Manager at his Office of Special Projects to come up on the secure connection.

_**Los Angeles**_

"Leon, I hope you have some good news for me?"

Leon frowned when he saw how exhausted Hetty looked. "I do, Henrietta. Let's hope when you find them, you'll find them both well." Leon replied. "Agent Callen was transferred to the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago. Where Owen is holding Agent Callen whilst he's been treated there, however, is a mystery."

"Thank you, Leon. I appreciate the effort that you and Dr Mallard have gone to, to retrieve this information." Hetty smiled over the video conferencing. "I think I just might know where." She disconnected the call and sat shaking her head, with a chuckle. "You are one hell of an agent, Owen Granger. Just as clever as Clara once was." She sat down at a terminal and typed in her i.d. She brought up satellite imagery of the location she had in her memory. It had been a long time since she had visited the lake house in the state of Illinois with her old friend, Clara. It had been her father's home away from home, she had told her. When he wanted to escape the world and all the horrors he'd seen in his lifetime. Her mother had taken her there after they fled Romania and Clara had many fond memories of growing up by Fox Lake. She had shared the place with Hetty, after they had become good friends. Hetty brought up recent data from the area and smiled when she saw two figures and a dog outside the house. "Aren't you a clever one, Owen. Buying your son a dog. Good move." She picked up her cell and typed in a message to her agents that it was time for them to return to the mission. Her mood brightened from the knowledge that they were both okay.

It only took her team thirty minutes before they all stood in the middle of Ops, waiting for their next move. "You are going on a road trip, ladies and gentlemen." All eyes widened at the mention of a road trip, as they were expecting a plane flight somewhere. "It's too risky for you to fly anywhere, incase Janvier has eyes out for where you are going. For all intention for this trip, a new vehicle has been brought in for your road trip. It's waiting for you in the garage. I've had people go over it to ensure no GPS trackers have been placed onto the vehicle, although it was brought from a dealer in town last night. I hope you've all gone through your own belongings and done the same." She looked intently at her agents, stressing the importances of them going off grid. She placed new cell phones onto the table. "Here are your new cells. They are burn phones, with no GPS inside them, so no one, not even Mr Beale will be able to trace your steps through them. I however, will provide him with the co-ordinates of your destination. The vehicle is packed ready with all the ammunitions and weapons, that you may require on this trip. Any questions?"

"Are we to bring them back to Los Angeles, Hetty?" This was the first question that was burning in the forefront of Sam's mind.

"No, you are not, Mr Hanna. You're mission is to ensure that they are safe and to protect Mr Callen at all costs, until Agent Gibbs gives us the all clear that Janvier has been eliminated. None of you are to tell Mr Callen about Janvier's discovery that Ava and her children are still alive, or about his daughter being at UCSF with Alexis. Have I made myself clear?"

Sam looked solemnly at this team and nodded. But he was thankful, at least, that he had this opportunity to see his partner. It had been the longest two months that he could ever remember.

"Miss Jones, here is the address, I trust you'll navigate the way for Mr Hanna. It's too risky for you to use a Sat Nav on your journey. You have to go old school on this trip, ladies and gentlemen. Map books have been placed in the vehicle. Please don't get lost."

Nell nodded and followed Sam out, with Deeks and Kensi bickering behind them, over which of them was better at reading maps. Hetty had to hide a chuckle, glad that Nell was there with them to provide direction for Sam. She wondered how long Sam would last with Deeks and Kensi bickering in the rear, before he throws them out onto the side of the road.

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Lexi paced the length of the family room and kitchen, shocked over what her grandpa had just told her. Ryan was not pleased with this news either. "You want me to go back there and be friends with the daughter of the man who wants us dead? Are you for real, Grandpa?" Her voice pitched high from the stress of the situation that she found herself in.

Dan Walker sat on the dining room chair, facing his two older grandchildren. "It's not something I wanted for you both. None of this. Your dad and I have gone to great lengths in ensuring that you were well hidden and kept safe. But this man, he's as evil and clever as they come. If you don't go back to college tomorrow, he'll know that you have worked out who she is, and you will be in more danger than you are right now. The girl is harmless. He's baiting you with her. Let him succeed, so we can at least find out where he is and finish him for good. Both of you can defend yourselves well. I know you can't take a gun with you to college, but you can leave them in the car. I have one of my agents on site, Ellie Bishop. Do you remember her?"

Lexi and Ryan nodded.

"She'll be filling in for one of your professors, and she'll be there to protect you. We've had to use someone Janvier hasn't seen before. The rest of my team were burned when the SUV exploded and they ran outside. Janvier has seen their faces, he'll know if anyone he recognises, shows up. Bishop is our best bet. She's bright and will do a great job lecturing in Analytic and Environmental Chemistry. She'll be known to you at UCSF as Professor Anna Sutton. Treat her like you would any other professor."

The room became silent as Ryan and Lexi took in the enormity of the situation that they found themselves in, once again. Neither of them liked the plan, but they knew it was their best bet, in ending the Frenchman once and for all.

Natalie walked into the family home, surprised to see the three of them sitting there in silence. She looked between them and she knew something was up. "What's going on?" She looked exhausted from her first day back serving customers and had come home to go over the business books, before preparing dinner. But now she had no desire to look at them, only to seek out the truth about what was going on between her father and her two older children.

Laughter and chatter could be heard from the front door, as it opened and Zac and Mia returned home, with friends in tow. Any chance Natalie had of getting that information, now went out the window. She glared at her father, before turning with a smile plastered on her face, to welcome the teenagers home. "How was your first day?"

"Great." Zac and Mia were first year at High School, and so far they were enjoying it. Having already made friends from middle school, a year and a half ago, had made the transition easy. "What's for afternoon tea?"

"You should head over to the bakery, if you're hungry. I've only just arrived in myself."

Zac and Mia glanced over to their grandpa and older siblings and instantly knew something was going on. Their faces told them plainly.

"Okay! Zac and Mia turned to their friends, dropped their bags and left. They were eager to escape whatever was going on at home.

Natalie took in a deep breath and slowly released it. She turned and looked at her father. "Now would be a good time to tell me what's going on." She remained firm in her stance as she remained in eye contact with him.

Gibbs shrugged. "Nothing much. We're just talking about Ryan and Lexi's first day of college." It was part of the truth, which made Natalie frown. She looked over at her older children and saw fear in their eyes.

She stepped closer, as her heart beat faster. "So how was your first day?"

"Good," Both of them replied, nonchalantly. Any fear she saw seconds ago, had vanished. Natalie knew they were as good as their father in hiding their emotions, but she decided to drop it. She really was exhausted.

"I think I might lie down. I am exhausted." She grabbed a glass and filled it with water, before heading up stairs. She laid down on the bed and fell asleep, as soon as her head touched the pillow.

Downstairs, Dan Walker was whispering with his grandchildren. "Not a word to your mother. She cannot know anything about this. The stress will not be good on her or the baby. She's still recovering from being shot.

Ryan and Lexi looked at each other and nodded. They knew well enough all that their mom had been through recently and they agreed with their grandpa. They were glad that he was there with them, someone they trusted and could talk to.

_**Somewhere in California**_

Sam shut off the noise from the back with jazz, as he drove north west. Nell had kept their destination close to her chest and would only give him the immediate directions from the map that she had sprawled out over her lap. Deeks and Kensi had bickered at first, but slowly they settled in for the long drive and accepted Sam as the driver and Nell as the navigator.

"Can't we all have a choice in the music?" Deeks eventually asked Sam. He'd had enough of jazz, from the past hour. "Can't we attach an ipod and listen to some more popular music?"

"Like what?" Sam questioned him, looking at him directly through the rear vision mirror.

"You know, like Ellie Goulding, Coldplay, Maroon 5, Sam Smith, Lorde etc." He looked over to Kensi for support.

"We could rotate on who chooses the music for an hour at a time," Kensi added.

Deeks smiled over to her over her suggestion.

Nell looked over to Sam, wondering what his reply would be.

"Who?" Sam gave Deeks a quick look in the mirror, before returning his attention back to the road. "Let's do it this way, Deeks. When you drive, you can choose the music. Okay?"

"Okay!" Deeks was happy with that suggestion. "So when's my shift at driving?"

Sam chuckled at Deeks persistance. "When we get there."

"Oh come on now, my driving is not as bad as Kensi's."

Kensi punched him in the arm.

"Ouch! Why do you keep doing that to me? Isn't there some agent rule against punching your partner?"

"There is, but you're not an agent," Kensi replied, with a broad grin spread across her face.

"Oh come on now, Fern. Where's the love?" Deeks rubbed his arm as the pain throbbed.

Nell remained quiet in the front, but chuckled lightly along with Sam over Deeks and Kensi's charades in the back. "Take exit 58A to merge onto the I-15 north to Barstow," Nell advised Sam.

He nodded and focused on the journey ahead of him. He knew at some point that he'd need to rest and for one of his companions to take over. Nell was needed to navigate, which left him with the options of Deeks or Kensi. Neither of which he was looking forward to. It was times like this, that he really missed his partner. He was really looking forward to seeing Callen again, real soon.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 5**

_**San Francisco**_

Lexi and Ryan were silent on their drive into college, on the following day. Nerves from what laid ahead sat in the forefront of their minds. Eventually, Ryan pulled into the campus and parked his car. Both of their SIGs sat hidden underneath their seats and Ryan had given Lexi a spare key to his car, for emergency use only. They were on strict instructions from their grandpa, that the guns were for only when Janvier appeared. Begrudgingly, Lexi exited the car and hugged her brother, before heading off to class. Her first class of the day was Applied Ecology and then Analytical and Environmental Chemistry, where she would see Ellie Bishop as Professor Anna Sutton. The afternoon was free, which she hoped to spend in the library with some fellow students on her course, to chat about the assignment given to them, the day before. Ryan was finishing later that day, but she took the opportunity to make the most of being on campus, seeing they were living at home and not at college.

Lexi sat beside a friend that she had made the day before and chattered with her over what they had done over the summer. It seemed so long ago to her, but she enjoyed the distraction, just the same. Before the professor arrived, the one person she dreaded, entered the theatre and walked over to her.

"Hello" Adel greeted her.

"Hi!" Lexi placed on a smile for the French girl. She turned back to Casey, who she had been talking to, as if it was no big deal.

It was Casey, however, who appeared more interested in Adel, and was drawn into asking her a load of questions on how she had come to San Francisco for college.

Adel blushed as she told them how her father had settled in the city and was paying for her education. "Back home, I had no opportunity like I do here. He is a generous man."

Casey continued to ask her questions about life in Paris, before they settled into their first lecture of the day.

Lexi focused on the lecturer, writing down notes as the Professor showed slide after slide and talked for the next hour. She managed to stifle a yawn, showing that she hadn't slept well the night before. But she worked hard in ensuring that she took the main points that the lecturer told them. Adel looked lost and she had to admit that she felt sorry for her. "Here, I'll copy my notes and hand them over to you for reading over later."

'Merci, you are very kind to me." Adel smiled over to Lexi, feeling that she had indeed found a good friend.

Lexi berated herself on the inside for giving in to being nice to her, but she decided to listen to her grandpa and be nice to her. His words, 'she's innocent in all of this,' ran through her mind. The girl looked the part of being as innocent as they come, even though she knew that her mother was a prostitute and had probably been raised in such an environment. She had an hour's break before her next lecture with her grandpa's analyst, Ellie Bishop. She had to remember that she was Professor Anna Sutton and not Bishop, as her grandpa often called her. She photocopied the notes from the previous lecture and handed them over to Adel, as she walked into the theatre. The room was bustling with noise as they waited for their professor to arrive.

Ellie Bishop walked in with the confidence of any professor and stepped up onto the stage. She connected her laptop to the overhead projector and introduced herself. "My name is Professor Anna Sutton, your lecturer for Analytical and Environmental Chemistry. I hope that you've all had time over the summer to read through your course work and are ready for your first year at UCSF." Lexi smiled as she watched Bishop slot in well, not only as a professor, but a tough one at that. Dan Walker had gone over what Bishop was like as a person, how hard she worked and what she expected from those around her. She was a very focused person and she would sink her teeth into anything that was required to solve a crime. She pulled up her powerpoint and went straight into the course work without any further delay. Lexi worked hard at keeping up with her in taking down the notes. She saw looks of worry from those around her, as they too tried hard to keep up with her. She was like a bull running towards a red flag. In a matter of thirty minutes, she had covered, what most lecturers would have covered in an hour. But the students were had looks of confusion on their faces over the amount of detail she had gone through, at such a rapid rate. Lexi decided to raise her hand and ask her a question, in hope that others would too, and make Bishop realise that she was going too fast for first year students. 'Must tell grandpa to tell Bishop to slow down. We're all going to fail at this rate.' She smiled over at Adel, who was almost in tears. She leaned over and whispered in her ear. "I'll copy my notes for you."

Adel smiled in return for her appreciation.

Ellie Bishop noticed the hand up in the audience. "Yes, miss?" She recognised immediately that it was Gibbs' granddaughter, Bronte.

"I didn't manage to copy down everything that you said about the analytical techniques in environmental and industrial monitoring and analysis. Could you please go over it again?" Lexi felt her face burn up from embarrassment, but she soon felt happy that she had asked the question, when her peers nodded in agreement. Apparently, she hadn't been the only one who struggled to keep up the professor's pace.

Ellie Bishop nodded and returned to the slide. Slowly, this time, Bishop went over the details and noticed recognition of the information click into place on the students' faces.

Lexi smiled and nodded her head in thanks. More hands then went up as other students asked their questions. By the end of the lecture, Lexi, along with all of the other students were happy to have a break for the rest of the day. They knew it was going to be a tough subject, but they also realised that their professor was highly intelligent. They just hoped that she'd go slower for them in future lectures.

Lexi was fast asleep in the passenger seat of Ryan's car, when he arrived from his lecture. He saw how exhausted she was and he realised that she hadn't slept well the night before. "I'm back." He gently smiled over to her, before starting the engine.

"Good, I'm beat." Lexi returned her brother's smile.

"How did you go today?" He looked over to her, every now and then.

"Tough. I had to photocopy my notes for Adel, just so she could keep up. She's going to struggle in this course, that's for sure. I cannot understand why her father would force her into something that she's not ready for. I'm finding it a challenge, and I've read all of your first and second year books. Not to mention the trips I've made with Barry and Vern out in the boat, over the past year." She spoke of the local marine biologists who lived in Half Moon Bay. Ryan had become good friends with them on their arrival in town, and she too had gotten to know them over the past year. They had learned a great deal from the pair, who were experts in their field. So Lexi knew, like Ryan, that she was prepared for college. It was a tough course, but she had the grades from High School and the work experience prior to starting. She wondered how the other students were going. Casey looked just as exhausted as she did and it was only the second day.

"I found it tough at first, when I was finding my feet at Radcliffe. It takes time, Lex. How did it go with Bishop?" He was curious on how Bishop would go as a professor, let alone the subject.

"When grandpa explained Bishop to us, I just had no idea what he meant about her being so focused and finite with detail. She rushed through her lecture in half the usual time and I struggled to write down the notes. I ended up putting my hand up and asking her to explain something again. She went slower the second time and after that, other students put their hand up for questions on what they had missed too. I can see most of us failing the subject, if she doesn't slow down." Lexi breathed out heavily, as the day unravelled in her mind. "I need to tell grandpa, so he can pass the information on. She's a tough professor, that's for sure."

Ryan laughed a little over listening to his sister's second day. "It sounds better than yesterday, at least." He tried to reassure her that she was going to be fine, but from the lack of sleep of the night before, she was shattered. "Get an early night tonight, Lex. You'll feel better tomorrow. What's your schedule like for the rest of the week?"

Lexi relaxed a little as she went over her schedule with him. She had three lectures on Wednesday, with only one on Friday.

"At least you get Thursday free. Ring Barry and Vern to see if they're heading out on the boat or if there's something you can do in the bakery. Give yourself a break from studying."

His advice sounded solid and she agreed to take up his suggestion. With all that was going on around them with Janiver, she needed a break to clear her head, so she could refocus on her course work.

_**Chicago, two days later**_

Patrick Greer sweated once again through his weight training session. He was accustomed to the gruelling and he could imagine the smart remarks by Sam, had be been there. "Come on, G, get your skinny ass off the floor and do some work." He had to admit it was his partner's voice haunting him, that gave him the determination to work hard at his rehabilitation sessions.

"You're doing really well ,Patrick. Just another ten." He was at his previous limit. Jess, his therapist, would push him that little bit harder, past what he had achieved in his last session. He pushed the weights with his legs, holding, then slowly releasing them and bending his legs again. His arms which held him firmly in his spot, shook from the effort that it took him to continue. He wanted to shout out that he'd had enough and couldn't do it, but instead he bit his bottom lip and pushed again. He breathed in and pushed, held and breathed out as he released. "Eight more to go, Patrick. You're going great." He focused all of his energy on the next push, but he struggled.

"I can't do it," he breathed out, as he surrendered. It was becoming almost impossible for him to move his legs any more.

Jess smiled over to him, reassuringly. "A month ago, you couldn't do half of what you're doing now. You should be proud of yourself." She had been with him from the start, when he first arrived at the institute. He was so weak, he couldn't walk nor lift his body out of the wheelchair. Two months on, he was walking in without an aide and pumping iron, like a trained athlete. "Let's give the legs a break and work on the arms." She took him over to a bench, which he laid down on. She placed some smaller weights on first and let him lift. "I want twenty of these, okay?" Patrick nodded and focused on the task at hand. She gave him a breather and handed him a bottle of water to hydrate his body, before she added more weights onto the bar. "Let's see how you go with these. We'll start with five, okay?"

Patrick nodded and lifted the bar. It was heavier than he'd expected and felt his arms refuse the weight. The fear in his eyes, notified to Jess that he was struggling. She came to his aide and lifted the bar from him. He felt a failure and was glad Sam and the rest of the team weren't there to see it. The old him had lifted that weight easily and more. It was his constant reminder of just how much further he had to go, before he was ready to return to the team.

Through the window in the door to the gym, Sam Hanna stood and watched his partner struggle lifting the weights. Granger stood beside him with a grin on his face. "He's doing far better than anyone expected, Sam." But concern was evident in his eyes over the long haul his partner still had before he returned to the man he once was.

"How is he really?" He studied Granger, as he answered him.

"Getting there. It was difficult for him at first, but as he's achieved milestones, his mood has lifted. He visits with a psychologist once a week and comes here six days a week. Jess is one of the best in the country. She's worked miracles with him. But he misses Ava, the kids and the team. He'll be glad to see you, Sam. It's been the most difficult two months for him." Owen was honest with the senior agent, as he updated him on his son's progress. The others had stayed outside, to give Callen some space. The last thing he needed was an audience.

"We'll meet you out at the lake house, then." Sam turned from the window. "He doesn't need to know that I've seen him here." He knew that Callen would feel bad enough, let alone knowing that he had been there.

Owen nodded and watched him leave with the others.

"How's Callen?" Kensi's looked over to him, expectantly.

"Let's go to the lake house." Sam remained in his thoughts as he drove the rest of the way out to Fox Lake.

Deeks and Kensi gave each other looks of concern, while they remained silent in the rear. Nell focused on directing Sam, whilst pondering on what Granger had told him or if he'd even seen Callen. After another hour in the car, Sam finally pulled into the driveway of the address that Hetty had given Nell. They all stretched and took their bags inside. Granger had told him where to find a spare key.

"This is a great house." Kensi and Nell admired the white wooden house with grey trimmings. "How did James find this place?" Kensi inquired, remembering his alias.

"It was Clara's father's house," Nell revealed. It was his home away from home and where his wife escaped with Clara, after the Comescus killed him.

"Patrick's mom grew up here?" Deeks looked around amazed. "To think he could have grown up here too."

"No one ever knew about this place. It was bought under an alias, so not even Janvier would find him here. It's clever," Nell went on.

Sam remained quiet as he stood out on the rear deck, overlooking the lake. His thoughts remained on his partner, whom he almost lost. But his recovery was far from over. He understood now why Hetty had sent them there to protect him. He was nowhere near ready to protect himself from any threat, let alone Janvier.

An hour later, they heard a car pull into the driveway. All of them remained out back of the house, afraid to be the first to greet their team leader. They were used to seeing him strong, but after the silence from Sam, since he'd entered the rehabilitation institute, they worried over what they would see.

They were surprised and relieved when Callen entered the house on his own two feet. His smile spread across his face at the sight of them.

"Hey, what are you all doing here?" He looked between them, in hope for an answer.

Sam looked over to his partner and smiled. He looked happy and relief flooded his system. He had seen his partner at his worst, struggling with this therapy, he realised. But now, seeing him standing there as if there was nothing wrong with him, made him the happiest he'd been in two months. "Hey, partner." He was unsure what to call him. Calling him Patrick seemed too weird for him, although they had spent many years calling each other by so many aliases, that would make one's head spin. He walked over and hugged him. It was a rare moment for him to show this emotion around the rest of the team, but it had been a long two months.

"You know you can call me Patrick. I've gotten used to it now." His trademark smirk returned to his face, making Sam chuckle.

"Sure thing, Patrick." Sam stepped back to allow the rest of the team welcome Patrick as well.

"So when did you guys arrive here?" He looked over to his father and noticed he had shrunk into the shadows.

"Not that long ago. It's been a really long drive," Deeks dragged his words out. They were shattered from the long journey.

"You drove here?" The shock on Patrick's face was evident, by his widen eyes and raised brow.

"We couldn't risk flying," Kensi added. "It was Hetty's condition for us to come here."

Patrick's face slumped over the realisation that Janvier was still alive. The team all looked at each other, knowing what Callen had thought when he saw them.

"We're off the case," Nell quipped in. "Hetty has deemed it too dangerous for anyone in either L.A. or D.C. team to chase after him. It's been left to unknown agents." She was careful with her use of words.

"Janvier's not going to like it. Do you know where he is? How close are they to getting him?" Callen had been away from it all for too long, he had loads of questions.

"We don't know, but Hetty wanted us to come to make sure that the two of you hadn't killed each other yet," Deeks piped in. He looked between father and son and realised that both men appeared relaxed in each other's company.

"How did you find us?" James asked them. He looked particularly at Nell and Sam, when he asked the question.

"Hetty got approval from Director Vance to seek out the doctor who treated Patrick at Stanford. He was our only hope in finding where he'd been transferred for rehab," Sam answered him, hiding the fact that he had seen his partner at the rehab, two hours earlier.

James furrowed his brow. "The doctor talked?"

"Dr Mallard went to visit him with a warrant. He wasn't going to give it to him without it," Nell revealed, pleased to have heard that information from Hetty, herself.

"Ducky flew to San Francisco?" Callen asked, puzzled.

"No. He's now in D.C. All medical staff who tended to you at Stanford were transferred across the country and had to sign a contract to keep quiet about you ever being there," Nell told him, plainly. "We had to keep them safe from Janvier, just as much as we had to keep you safe from being found."

Callen sat down at the dining table, as he was exhausted from his session with Jess. He looked shattered to the team and his near death experience, came rushing back to the forefront of their minds. They joined him at the table, unaware that Granger had moved into the kitchen to prepare dinner. It had been a long day for all of them, so he went on quietly with preparing and cooking. They all greeted him with smiles of appreciation, when he walked out with a lamb casserole.

"Thanks." They all studied the man, whom they had always referred to as Granger, but the man before them wasn't the same anymore. He was softer and quieter, not demanding anything from them.

"You've changed," Deeks stated, after they had enjoyed their meal. "Mellowed." He looked over to his team leader. "Has he behaved himself?"

Patrick smiled with a fondness for his father, that none of them ever expected to see from Callen. "He has." He looked behind him as he heard the patter of four paws enter the house and barked. "I bet you're hungry, aren't you, girl. What have you been up to today? Found any water hens for us to shoot tomorrow? I think we've got enough for a hunting party." He looked to his dad. "Would we all fit in the boat?"

Sam looked in wonder between Callen and Granger and he realised that a lot had happened between these two men. They had bonded and the dog before them had a lot to do with it, he realised.

James wasn't sure, so he shrugged. "We could try."

"It's okay," Nell began, "Kensi and I don't mind if we miss it." She looked over at her relieved friend. Neither of them fancied a trip out to a hide to wait to shoot at waterfowl.

"Thanks." Patrick smiled over to the girls. "You've made my day, coming here."

They continued chatting over dinner, but Sam could see there was something on Patrick's mind. After dinner, they walked out onto the deck and sat in the chairs, where he'd sat many times with his father. "How's Ava?" Patrick became Callen again, as he asked about the woman he loved.

"Not sure," Sam admitted. "Hetty has banned any of the team to visit Half Moon Bay. Just in case Janvier tails one of us and we lead him to them." It was the truth so he wasn't lying to his partner, but he had omitted the most recent news, to protect him. "All we know is that everyone is fine."

"I miss them so much. It's given me the drive to work hard to get better, so I can go home to them," Callen admitted to Sam.

"You still love her, don't you, G." Sam smiled over to his partner, happy for him. "Don't screw it up this time, bro. She'll never forgive you a second time."

"I know. The timing of this is terrible. But at least I know that Gibbs is there to look after them." He yawned, with his earlier weights training taking a toll on his still weakened body. "I feel like an old man, Sam. It's hard work, but I'm determined to get back to what I was."

"And I be waiting for you, G." He watched him stand, much slower than the old G, and walked inside to his bedroom. It was the only bedroom on the lower floor, seeing the stairs were impossible, when he had first arrived.

All six of them retired to bed, after the long drive of almost two days worth, had tired them all out. Sam nodded and smiled at each of his team and Granger, before climbing the stairs. He smiled gently at his partner's father, pleased that both men had solved their hurt from the past and found something to build on a future together.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 6**

_**Half Moon Bay**_

Dan Walker pressed a preset number on his cell and waited for the recipient to pick it up. "Professor Sutton."

"Hi, it's me. How did your first day go?" Dan listened with a smile on his face, as Bishop rambled on about her day. "Lexi told me that you sped through the lecture. She's bright, but not that fast. Go slower, remember they are young and fresh out of High School."

Ellie Bishop felt her cheeks flush from embarrassment. "She asked me a question and then so did some others. I think I lost them. It's been a while since I was in college myself."

"Use the time you've been given, make it interesting, so they'll not only enjoy the lecture, but absorb the information. You don't want them all to fail on you."

Ellie slightly chuckled. "No, of course I don't. I guessed Lexi was sitting next to the daughter."

"Yes. Poor girl struggles with the language barrier and the subject anyway. She's out of her depth in many ways, but Lexi's trying her best to copy her notes for her," Dan admitted. He was proud of his granddaughter for going the extra mile for Adeline.

"Why did he put her in an American college in the first place? What was he thinking?" Bishop furrowed her dark brows, as she pondered the decisions made by Janiver.

"Revenge! We think this is his plan B, seeing he can't find Callen anywhere. Did you manage to find the girl's personal file for an address?" This was another reason why Bishop was there. They couldn't have Janvier suspect that their people were snooping into the college database from off campus, so she was their best bet.

"I did. They're staying at one of the Edgewater Luxury Apartments on Berry Street. You couldn't get any closer to the Mission Bay campus, without living on the campus itself. Apartment number 509, 355 Berry Street, Mission Bay. It's on the first floor, facing Berry Street." It's a two bedroom Lafayette apartment. I'm sending you the layout." Bishop pulled the file that she had researched online, and sent it though to her boss.

"Thanks, you've done great." Gibbs smiled at the information that his analyst had gathered so quickly. He knew he had done right, by sending her in. She was extremely thorough and swift in her actions. "I'll get a team on surveillance." He disconnected the call and made another one to Vance.

"Leon." Gibbs sat in his bedroom, making the calls.

"How's retirement going for you, Dan?" Leon smiled, knowing that he was on protection detail for his only remaining family, on the west coast.

"It's had better days." He answered truthfully. He'd be happy to have Callen back and Janvier dead, rather than this cat and mouse game and the waiting. He worried over how long he'd be able to hide this from his daughter. Lexi and Ryan were doing a great job of it so far. "Bishop has the address. We need a team sent in for surveillance. I believe there's some apartments available in the building for rent. If we can get a couple inside, and a team surrounding the complex, we'll have a better chance to deal with him." They were wary of using their suspect's name.

"Good idea. Send me the details. I'll get the San Francisco team on it right away." With Owen Granger out of his usual role, it left Vance the duty to deal with the west coast offices directly.

_**Mission Bay**_

Janvier looked concerned over the sullen mood that his daughter expressed over the past few days. It was the end of her first week at college, and although she had arrived home happy on day one, it had vanished to worry and stress ever since. "Let's have some fun," he told Adeline. "We can hire kayaks and take them out onto the bay."

Adeline smiled and nodded at her father's suggestion. "Oiu père, merci." She changed into suitable clothing and followed him down the lift. The standard of the building she lived in with her father, astounded her ever since her arrival. It was new and luxurious in comparison to the one she had grown up in, back in Paris with her mother. It was old and weathered. Her mother was a terrible house keeper, which had inspired her to tend to the housekeeping herself, once she was old enough. She wanted something pretty, not squalid, and even painted the walls a fresh lemon colour. It created a lighter feeling inside the once glum apartment.

The sun was shining, with only a gentle breeze, as Janvier and Adeline took off on the kayaks, out into San Francisco Bay. Adel felt small amongst the towering buildings that surrounded the inlet. They paddled under the 3rd Street bridge and past the AT&amp;T Park, which she absorbed into her memory. The city had so much to offer, but so far she had seen so little of it. A small marina appeared on their left, as they headed towards the Bay Bridge. The bay was larger than she had first realised, as the only time she had really looked out over it, was when she arrived a month earlier. Seeing it from the air was completely different from sitting on a small kayak, at water level. She kept close to her father as she continued to paddle, she revelled in the exercise and being outdoors. They had a fitness studio and swimming pools which she had yet to use. She had so much reading to catch up on for college, that she had hardly left their apartment, except for shopping for food.

They finally reached the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge, where Adeline was sure they would turn around and head back to their apartment. But her father insisted that they followed the bridge, over to the Oakland side. They continued past Treasure Island, passing ferries along the way, until they reached the other side. She looked over at an inlet, in hope that they would head in that direction, but instead her father led her north, hugging the eastern side of the bay, until they reached the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and followed it across the bay. They were on the northern coast of the bay now, and Adel found herself enjoying the time exploring. It was more residential along this side, with houses build right up to the edge of the bay and even on it, as land had been reclaimed for a canal estate. A pod of dolphins swam nearby, catching Adel by surprise. Janvier looked over at his daughter, beaming over his clever plan to bring her to this beautiful city. He had missed so much of her teenage years, he was determined to make up for the loss time. Even though his intentions for her to be there weren't honourable.

They stopped, when the Golden Gate Bridge came into view, taking in the enormity of its height and grandeur, as they watched sail boats, cargo ships and other boats travel underneath it. They were too low down to see all the cars which travelled over the bridge. "I will take you to Lands End Lookout, this weekend. You get a wonderful view of the bridge and entrance of the bay from there," Janvier promised her. He still had time on his hand, before he was to start stage two of his plan. A wicked smile edged his lips as he paddled underneath the ikon bridge to the other side. It was hard work, with the pull of the changing tides at it's strongest, but both of them managed to pull into Crissy Field for a breather. They pulled the kayaks up onto the beach and walked up to House of Snacks for lunch. The view from their was spectacular, and both father and daughter enjoyed the time together. Adel finally chattered about her stressful week at college, but also how she had made some good friends, who were a great help providing notes from the lectures.

"I am pleased for you, my sweetheart." Janvier smiled as he listened to her chat about one girl in particular, Lexi Walker.

_**Fox Lake**_

As the sun was peeping over the trees on the eastern side of Fox Lake, Patrick, James, Sam and Deeks were out on the boat with Molly, Patrick's dog. They headed north along the lake to the hide that James had chosen a week earlier. Molly sat quietly beside her master, as she licked his hands from the excitement of what was to come. The hunt to find the waterfowl that the men would shoot, as they fell from the sky. After fifteen minutes in the boat, James pulled into the hide. Molly jumped off the boat and sat on the pontoon, where she laid until she was needed. James had trained her well for this job, and she enjoyed the thrill of the hunt. The men waited and then a waterfowl flew overhead. Patrick lifted his .22 rifle and fired the shot. He'd hit the bird and watched it fall, as Molly jumped through the shallows and reeds to bring the bird back to the boat. Patrick's face brightened at his success. First time round this time and he was pleased with himself. James patted him on the back, happy for his son at his success. They were small achievements for the senior agent, but he had come a long way in two months.

Sam and Deeks smiled at their friend, who was glowing still, as Molly brought the bird back. "Good girl," he praised his dog. He rewarded her with a beef jerky, which she gladly accepted and returned to the pontoon to chew on it. It was another ten minutes before another waterfowl came their way. They let Deeks take a shot and he missed it. He frowned, surprised over the miss. The gunfire rang out into the air, scaring the bird away. He shook his head as Patrick smirked over to Sam.

"It's harder than shooting at a person, Deeks. Don't be so cocky next time."

It wasn't long before Deeks got to have his second go. He waited this time for the bird to be in the right position, tracking its direction and fired. A shriek rang out from the bird, before it dropped into the water. "And he scores."

Patrick laughed as Molly jumped into the water and swam over to the floating dead bird. She paddled back and threw it to Deeks. Deeks was taken with the bitch, who appeared much smarter than she looked. She knew Deeks had taken the shot, therefore it was Deeks' bird.

After two hours, the men travelled back to the lake house, ready for brunch. They had gone out before breakfast and it was venturing closer to lunch by then. Kensi and Nell had kept themselves busy after a bit of a lie in. They cleaned the house and cooked up a storm, once Deeks had texted them about their return. When the men entered the house, they were pleased to show off their catches. Four waterhens, caught by them all. Their time out in the hide bonding, had been successful.

_**San Francisco**_

A team from the San Francisco office of NCIS, found themselves parked down the road in Berry Street and in a boat behind the Edgewater Luxury Apartments Complex. Another two agents, Kathy and Brad, were moving their furniture and belongings from a rental truck parked outside. They had managed to rent an apartment next door to Marcel Janvier and his daughter. Their luck over the close proximity had been better than they had envisioned. After their Director's call to move fast on this one, they had dropped the cases that they were working on and took over the Los Angeles ongoing case of looking for the Frenchman. He had been found and now it was time to keep tabs on the man, who they had been warned, was as evil as they came. His personal vendetta towards Agent G. Callen had been stressed and the safety of his family in Half Moon Bay, was on them. If they were caught and failed, the Walker family were in grave danger. They still had the death warrant issued and signed by the judge on behalf of President Deion Williams, for the Frenchman. There was no requirement for them to be in danger to shoot to kill. He was dangerous whether in jail or free. He was an evil mastermind, who would kill anyone who got in his way.

Kath and Brad were thankful for the elevator, to carry their furniture inside. Their intel was solid, that the Janviers were out kayaking and there was no sign of their return. The sooner they moved in and settled, the less suspicious they would look to their new neighbour. Brad tapped into the complex's wireless network and with the help of Eric, from Los Angeles, managed to get access to the security cameras. A live feed came up on the computer, which Brad hid in the spare bedroom. They had to make their relationship believable as a couple, so they were sharing the master bedroom. However, this duo had been partners for eight years and they were used to undercover operations such as this one. Their spouses understood the pressure of the job and respected their times away together, trusting them that they were just best friends.

They were well settled in with Kathy putting their clothes away in the walk in robe, when the message came through in their earwigs, that their suspect and his daughter had returned. Brad sat down watching their move back inside the complex and into the adjoining apartment. It had been too risky to place a camera inside Janvier's apartment, incase he had an internal surveillance of his own and caught them in the act. They had strict instructions not to give this man any cause for suspicion over who they were. They were happy to do this for Callen, who they had worked with in the past and respected him as an agent and a friend. The last time they had seen him, he was distraught over the mother of his children, who had just been shot from a vicious attack by some Russians.

_**Los Angeles**_

Hetty sat at her desk, watching the comings and goings of the man that she feared the most. She had managed to hide the effects of this man from her team, although Callen had learned the truth after sneaking into her bedroom, when he should have been in hospital. If only I could turn the clocks back, she pondered, then we would have killed him a long time ago and your children wouldn't be in danger right now. She thought quietly inside her head, words that she would say to her team leader, if he wasn't hidden away, whilst recovering from cyanide poisoning. She had received a text message the night before, that neither Granger or Callen had killed each other yet and appeared to be relaxed with each other. He was walking on his own, but was still weakened from the effects of the cyanide. It was a long road for recovery, Hetty realised, but she was pleased that Janvier appeared to be distracted with his plan B, and that she was able to send her people to them without his knowledge. Round one to us.

Eric updated Hetty on the goings on in San Francisco, in-between rests that she had enforced on him, every few hours. The young Tech had lived at the mission since the latest news had come through from Ryan and Lexi. Therefore, Hetty made sure that he still looked after himself, so he was at the ready when needed.

_**Half Moon Bay — five months later **_

Their first five months back in business had been hectic for Natalie Walker and her dear friend, Sandra Levitt. Sandra and Dan Walker had become an item, the events seven months ago had sealed their friendship into something more. Dan had needed her comfort, with the stress of almost losing his other daughter. Sandra had been let into the family's inner sanctum, revealing who they really were and why they were hiding in Half Moon Bay. Sandra had worried for them, and she made a promise to ensure that she did what she could to keep them safe. But news of an evil Frenchman gave her the greatest concerns. She had watched Dan train his older two grandchildren at the local gun range and asked him to train her too. She realised just how good Dan was, when she watched him fire a variety of weapons dead on target every time. She trained hard and wasn't a bad shot after seven months of hard work.

Natalie looked up from the counter as familiar faces entered the bakery. Gracie's parents, Ron and Andrea Strickland, smiled and waved as they caught her eyes. Natalie was impressed by the couple, who had old values on what they expected from their children. They had two daughters and had preferred that they spent their time completing their education, before finding a partner and think of marriage. But even so, they had welcomed Ryan into their daughter's life and took the impending arrival of a grandchild in their stride. Natalie knew it was a big thing for them, who were regular church attendees, at the Hamilton Square Baptist Church. But they had understood and accepted what had happened and spent more time visiting the Walker family in Half Moon Bay. Even so, Natalie wondered how they would react, if they knew about the fact that they were living aliases, to hide from some very evil people. Most of whom, thankfully, were now dead, thanks to her father and Callen's team.

Natalie walked over and joined them at the table. Her feet ached and she tried to sit as often as she could. She was pleased to see them and they were always gracious with their family. "How's Gracie?" Natalie knew only too well what the young woman was going through. She was eight months pregnant and Gracie was a month behind. There was much excitement in both families over the near arrival of two babies, expanding the already large Walker clan. It was refreshing and it kept Natalie and her children preoccupied, instead of wonder how Callen was going and missing him. Because she missed him more and more, as their baby grew inside of her. So she was thankful that she had the business to occupy her. She was grateful that her father had received word that Callen was slowly getting stronger and that he was getting on well with his father. It had pleased her to hear the news, although she hadn't heard anything else from the Los Angeles office, knowing that communications between Hetty and Callen was limited. It went via channels of the team, that even Natalie was unaware of. As far as she was concerned, they were all still back in Los Angeles. But the truth was, Sam, Deeks, Kensi and Nell had gone from L.A. to Fox Lakes and back again, each month, since that first visit. From what Sam and Nell had assessed, Callen was safe where he was with Granger, and Janvier hadn't suspected his location.

"She's tired," Andrea replied. "Like you are, I suppose?"

Natalie nodded. "I am ready for this baby to come, that's for sure." She hoped there wouldn't be any complications and could have the baby locally at Seton Medical Centre, in Moss Beach. But with her age, a transfer to either UCSF or Stanford was a possibility. What she wanted to add, was for the father of her baby to return in time, but she kept that piece of information to herself. As far as the Stricklands were concerned, she was a single mom, trying to run a family business and raise her already large brood of four children to different fathers, with another one along the way. She was thankful she could tell them at least that she was a widow. It gave her some credit with the family. Not that either Ron or Andrea would ever say anything to her, as they were very discrete people. "What would you like to order?" She pulled a notepad out from the pocket of her apron, ready to write it down.

"Actually, a tea would be nice," Andrea replied. "But we're here to talk with you. Is there some place we could go to talk alone?"

Natalie nodded and caught Sandra's attention that she was having a break. Thankfully, they had all of their staff into work that day, as they had the bakery and cafe brimming with customers. The two women walked outside into the cool February day and headed for the Walker's family home. They chattered about little things along the way, until they entered the house and sat down at the dining table.

"Ryan came to Ron the other day, to ask him for permission."

Natalie's eyes widened as realisation hit her, exactly what Andrea was saying.

"He's a wonderful young man, Natalie, and we really like him. He's been nothing but caring with our Gracie."

"Why do I feel there is a but coming?" Natalie remained focused on her breathing as her nerves overtook her.

"Our faith is important. We'd hoped that our girls would find someone from church. But as it turns out, the best thing that has ever happened for our daughter, is Ryan. We love him as a son and we would love for him and Gracie to get married. But are you ready for your son to marry our daughter? I know they are young and still in college, and they are welcome to live with us, they'll be closer to college in the city." Andrea only spoke words of kindness about Ryan, bringing tears to Natalie's eyes as her pregnancy hormones got the better of her.

Natalie hadn't expected this news. Ryan had kept her out of the loop, and she realised just how much he had grown into a man. Without his father's presence, he had taken on that role, even with her father being around full time. "I agree, they are very young, but Ryan has proven that he's a man now. If that is what he and Gracie wish to do, then they have my blessing."

Andrea stood and hugged her. "You are a great presence in your son's life. You have done well in raising him, even without his father around." She returned to her seat and pondered a moment before she went on. "Ryan told us something else."

Natalie looked up and met with Andrea's grey eyes.

Ryan told me about the danger that you were in back east, and that he cannot marry our daughter until one last danger is gone. He wants to marry Gracie as himself, not with the name that we know him as. But with his father's real family name.

Natalie breath hitched and felt pains lower down. She hoped they were only Braxton Hicks contractions, but as her muscles contracted with more strength, she realised that she had gone into labour. She stood to go to the bathroom but became overwhelmed by the latest contraction. She breathed in to control the pain, but it became unbearable.

Andrea moved around and helped her back onto the chair. "Are you okay?"

Natalie shook her head. "I need to get to the hospital. The baby's coming."

Andrea called Ryan, who was on the beach with Gracie, making the most of their time alone before they became parents. "Ryan, your mother's gone into labour. We're at your house."

"We're on our way." Ryan disconnected the call and gently pulled Gracie up from the sand. "Mom's gone into labour. I've got to ring grandpa."

Dan Walker was sanding down his latest creation, a cradle for his newest grandchild. With only a month to go, he knew that if he didn't finish it this weekend, the likelihood of him completing it in time would be slim. He also had another one for Ryan and Gracie's baby to do, for his first great grandchild. He smiled when he saw his eldest grandson's name come up on the id, as his cell rang. "Hey Ry, what's up?"

"Mom's gone into labour. She and Gracie's mom are at home. She's got to get to the hospital fast."

Dan threw down the sandpaper and grabbed his keys. He'd made a workshop in Sandra's garage over the past few months and he was working on the cradle as a surprise for Natalie. "I'm coming." He started his truck and drove the few streets away, finding Andrea standing out front of the house, waiting for him.

"Her waters have broken and her contractions are now five minutes apart. I've never seen someone go so quickly into labour like that. One minute we were talking…"

"Stress can do that," Dan replied, as he swiftly entered the house and found Natalie leaning over the kitchen bench, panting. "Hold on, Nat. I'm here to take you to the hospital."

"G!" She shouted as her contraction came quick and strong. "I need G here." It was the first time she had slipped over the real identity of the baby's father. Fortunately, Andrea was now aware of the family's situation.

"I'll see if I can get word to him." Gibbs tried to appease her, as he helped her to the front seat of his truck. Andrea placed her bag in the back and watched them leave. She waited for Ryan and Gracie to take her back to the bakery, where her husband waited for her. They all wanted to be there for Natalie, whom she knew was having a rough time. Once Ryan dropped her off, he collected Zac and Mia and headed to Seton Medical Centre, where they waited on news of their new brother or sister. Their mom had decided not to find out the sex of the baby, leaving it a surprise for when the baby came. But they all knew it was because she had hoped that their dad would be home before now. He continued to try to reach Lexi, who had gone out into the city for the day with friends. They were doing all the tourist things around town, before heading out to a Giants' game that night. It frustrated him that he hadn't managed to reach her, and worry began to brew in the pit of his stomach. He walked over to his grandpa, who paced like an expectant father, telling him about his fears.

Dan Walker looked intently into his grandson's eyes. "You can't reach her at all?"

Ryan shook his head.

Dan nodded and exited the waiting room to make a call. "Bishop!" He was more harsh than he had meant to be. "Lexi is missing. She was supposed to be out in the city today going to all the tourist places before a Giants' game tonight. Ryan's been trying to call her, but she's not answering. Do you know where she is?"

_**San Francisco**_

Ellie Bishop looked on her laptop at the GPS tracker that she had inserted into the girl's cell phone and watch when she'd had a private moment in her office with Lexi, five months earlier. It had helped her keep tabs on her, when she was away from home. Of all the members of the Walker family, she was the one in most danger. It was her job to ensure Lexi remained safe. "She's at the Palace of Finer Arts. I've been watching her movements all day, Gibbs, she's fine."

"Nat's gone into labour. She's not answering her cell. Can you please find her?" Gibbs was tense over the situation. It had been a long seven months, waiting for their people to end Janvier. But unfortunately, a quick take down of the Frenchman had not gone to plan. He never left the apartment without his daughter, evidence that he was being very clever in every step that he took. They needed him to slip up once and kill him. They didn't want the daughter caught in the crossfire.

"I will, Gibbs." Ellie Bishop disconnected the call and called in Eric for help. "Hi Eric. Lexi's not answering her cell. The GPS in her cell and watch, both place her at the Palace of Finer Arts. I need you to take a closer look to ensure she's safe. I'm heading over there now."

"Sure thing, Ellie. I'll call you back when I get the imagery." Eric quickly typed in co-ordinates of the location and waited for satellite imagery to come up on the large screen. Hetty's immediate arrival into Ops, was living proof to the tech that she had the room bugged. Eric zoomed in and found the matching GPS trackers Ellie had planted on Lexi's cell and watch, but there was no sign of her. "I don't understand?" Eric muttered.

Hetty stood still as a statue as worry consumed her over the safety of Callen's daughter, Bronte. "Oh bugger!"


	7. Chapter 7

E03: Hunting Season

By BH72

_Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters from NCISLA or NCIS. They belong to the amazing teams under the reigns of Shane Brennan. All original characters are mine._

_Thanks for reading._

**Chapter 7**

Bishop's expression was grim when the call came in from Eric. "Where has she gone to?" It was something of a puzzle, as she had watched her movements all day; there was nothing to indicate that Lexi was in any danger. She dialled the number of the agents who were watching Janvier.

Kathy picked up the call and frowned when she saw it. "What's going on? She knew who Bishop was and that she was in charge of keeping tabs on Agent Callen's daughter.

"She's disappeared. She was out with friends today in town, seeing all the tourist sites. Her last location was the Palace of Fine Arts. Her cell and watch have been left there, but she's no where to be found." Ellie sighed, this was not good news at all. She knew Gibbs would be furious, and stressed over telling him. "Has Janvier left his apartment at all today?"

Kathy looked over to Brad who had returned to the computer and checked the records of that day. She walked over and watched the feeds over his shoulder. "There he goes. How did we miss him?"

"He's good at becoming whoever he wants to be. He wasn't known as the Chameleon for nothing." Bishop told them, annoyed that Janvier had managed to leave the apartment without the agents knowing. He was one slippery villain.

"I'd heard how good he was, but we thought we had all angles covered." Their team had been stretched for the past five months in surveillance of the French Arms Dealer and were now reduced to only the two of them. It had been a frustrating time for them, with other cases coming to their office that needed their attention.

"Find him." Bishop snapped her cell shut and huffed out into the cool winter air. She looked around the Palace of Fine Arts to see if she could find any surveillance cameras in the vicinity. Successfully, she found a couple and dialled Eric for his help.

"Found anything?" Eric asked, hoping Lexi had been found.

"Surveillance cameras. Can you tap into them and look through the," she looked at her watch and calculated the time in which she had seen Lexi move to this location, earlier in the day, "last two hours at this location, Eric. We need proof of Janvier being here. He's ditch the San Francisco team, slipping out of the building in disguise. They're sending you what he's wearing."

Eric frantically searched the cameras for information, that might help them find Bronte.

**_Fox Lakes…_**

Patrick woke up from his rest with a start. He'd tossed and turned unlike he had over the past seven months. His progress although slow, was coming along well. His team had arrived the night before and they had stayed up late, catching up on news from L.A. At his last session for the week with Jess, she had pushed him hard again. He understood why she did it, to drive him to get strong again. He was getting there, making small steps and now found himself almost to the level of fitness he was before the poisoning. Jess had put him on the treadmill and made him run for thirty minutes at a moderate speed. It wasn't fast like he used to run, but he was pleased with the distance that he had achieved. He had broken his barrier of a 3mph and achieved his goal of 5mph. The grin on his face showed it all. He knew that he still needed to increase his speed to get to where he used to be, but after all that he had been through, he was going better than he had thought. But now fear in a dream came to him, which woke him. He walked out in a bit of a daze into the living room, where his father and team were talking.

"Something's not right." He breathed out.

Sam and James rushed over to him, thinking he was not well, but he shook his head. "Not me, I heard Bronte screaming." They all looked at each other with concern, knowing what was going on in San Francisco. "I need to go. We all do."

Sam pulled out his cell and dialled Eric in Ops. "Eric, what's going on?"

Eric looked worriedly over to their Operations Manager, surprised by Sam's question.

"What do you mean by your question, Mr Hanna?" Hetty's voice boomed over the phone.

"G's just woken with a fright. Said he heard Bronte screaming." Sam had heard how members of a family who were close could sense things being wrong, so he didn't take any chances with his partner's dream.

"Unfortunately, Mr Hanna, she is missing." Patrick saw the fear in Sam's eyes. He pulled the cell out of his hands and took over the conversation.

"What's going on, Hetty?" It was the first time Hetty had heard her team leader's voice in seven months.

"Agent Bishop was tracking your daughter's movements, but her cell and watch were left behind at the Palace of Fine Arts, not that long ago. We have agents looking for her as we speak." Hetty admitted.

"We need a flight into San Francisco immediately, Hetty. An airforce one preferably." Patrick became Callen as he returned to agent mode. "Why was Ellie tracking Bronte?"

Hetty was afraid to answer the question. "Mr Hanna will fill you in the details, Mr Callen. I will organise that flight now. We're doing everything we can to find her." She disconnected the call much to Callen's frustration, as his jaw tensed and glared at Sam.

"Tell me what the hell's been going on, Sam." He demanded. Granger stood by his son's side with concern over this latest development.

"Remember when we first came to visit you five months ago?" Callen nodded, but remained focused on Sam. "The day we left, Ryan called. It was their first day at college, Lexi had a bad feeling about a girl on her course. A french girl, named Adel de Forest."

Callen's whole body tensed at the name. "Janvier's daughter was Adeline de Forest." He remembered the intel Nell had procured about his nemesis' daughter, although Janvier had told him her name was Adeline Janvier at the time.

"Janvier got tired of looking for you. We found the nurse who poisoned you, Jaqui Ghilas, the wife of the man we killed when we first came across Janvier. She used an alias and managed to get into L.A. General to lace your pills with cyanide. She told us that Janvier's plan was to find you and kill you, while you were weak. We suspect he's followed us around for a while and got impatient. The fact that he's brought his daughter to lure Bronte, proves that he knows about Ava and your kids still being alive, G." Sam admitted.

"You kept this from me? Why?" Callen couldn't understand why he was kept in the dark. Anger rippled through his body over the whole situation.

"Because Hetty knew that you would head straight into Janvier's trap. He's using Bronte as bait to lure you out of hiding." Deeks added into the conversation. "Hetty's trying to protect you, Callen, just like we all are. You almost died." His words hung in the air, reminding them all of what had happened.

Sam's cell rang, interrupting the conversation. "Hetty!"

"I have a seaplane waiting for you at Fox Lake, which will take to you Scott Air Force Base, just outside of St Lois. From there, there's a C-130 Hercules waiting to take you to Travis Air Force Base. Be safe, Sam. Keep Mr Callen from doing anything stupid." Hetty stressed. After all that they had been through, the last thing she wanted was to lose anyone of them.

**_Moss Beach…_**

Dan Walker continued to pace the floor of the waiting room and frequently looked at his cell. No messages or calls had come through since his call to Bishop. Worry for his daughter was pushed to the back of his mind, as Lexi's whereabouts replaced his concern. His cell rang and he quickly picked it up.

"Bishop." Ellie Bishop cringed on the other end of the phone at her boss' tone.

"Lexi's cell and watch were left at the Palace of Fine Arts, Gibbs. I have no idea on how to find her now. Eric's looking into the cameras around this location, I'm waiting for him to call me back." She waited for his outburst, but was greeted with silence.

Gibbs' heart hurt as worry for his beautiful granddaughter, consumed him. He stood still with his face towards the wall, as he processed the latest information.

"Janvier has managed to allude Kathy and Brad in disguise, they're going over feeds from his newest guise and trying to follow his steps. We're doing everything that we can, Gibbs." Bishop noticed Eric was trying to contact her. "Got to go, Eric is trying to get through." She switched calls. "Anything?" Her voice raised with hope.

"I do." Eric sat wide eyed at the screen up in Ops. "Janvier has Lexi." He breathed the words out. "I have followed the steps he made. He knocked her out with something on a rag, maybe chloroform. She had no way to escape him, Ellie. He's driving a blue van and I have put the details into kaleidoscope. He can't hide forever."

"Thanks Eric." Solemnly, Bishop made her second call to her boss, one she wished she hadn't had to make. "Eric's found out what's happened, Gibbs. Janvier knocked her out with chloroform on a rag. She had no chance to escape him."

Gibbs' eyes welled up as he heard a baby's cry from the delivery suite. The sound of his newest grand child was bittersweet, knowing his eldest granddaughter was fighting for her life. He turned to Ryan with a determination in his eyes that frightened his grandson. "Janvier has Lexi. I've got to go and find her. You stay here with your mom and the others. No one leaves this hospital until I return." Ryan nodded, afraid for his sister. "Don't let your mom know any of this." He spoke quietly, so not to alarm the others. He left them and pressed hard on the accelerator as he headed for the last location Lexi was seen.

Zac, Mia and Gracie looked puzzled at Ryan as they watched their grandfather leave the hospital. A midwife walked out to announce the safe arrival of a girl. Ryan pulled Gracie closer to him, overwhelmed by all that was going on around him. He kissed her temple, closing his eyes in prayer for Lexi to be safe.

**_San Francisco…_**

Lexi felt cold and shivered as she woke up. The room she was in complete darkness, so she had no idea what time of day or night it was. She shook her head as it felt heavy, puzzled over what had happened. She remembered meeting up with friends and going to the different sites around town. She had been looking forward to going to the Giants' game that night, but now her heart thumped heavy in her chest. Fear overwhelmed her as she realised that she had been kidnapped. Unlike most kidnapped victims, she knew who her captor was and he was as evil as they came. He had already tried to kill her and her family before, especially her dad. _Dad where are you? I need you._ She squeezed her eyes shut tight as she sent her dad her thoughts. She had heard about family members being able to read each others thoughts, if they were close. She was close to all in her family, especially Ryan and her dad. It had been a long seven months without her dad being in her life, and hoped that he would come home soon.

She could hear a clanging sound and listened more closely to what she could hear. Something was bashing up against the building she was in. _ I must be on one of the piers in a discarded building. _She had seen a few on the occasions that she and Ryan had gone out on a boat from Mission Bay. She checked herself over, to ensure she wasn't injured, although she couldn't feel any pain, she felt very cold. As she moved her arms and legs, she was relieved to see that she was okay. F_or now. _She stood and used her hands to find the door to the room. She slowly felt her way around the room until she found it. She tried to open it just in case, but it was no use, it was locked. She scrunched her face up in frustration but remained calm. She knew that it was important for her to stay calm, she had learned this from her dad and grandpa. She focused on her breathing and thought over the situation that she found herself in. She felt her wrist and cursed when she realised her watch was missing. "Crap!" Ellie Bishop had placed a GPS tracker inside her cell and watch five months earlier, but she no longer had either items on her. _Think Lexi, what would dad or grandpa do?_ She knew her dad was a huge McGuyver fan and they had watched the reruns on cable with him. _Search around you._ She remembered what McGuyver did when he found himself empty handed.

The room was pitch black, so she would need to get down on the floor and search with her hands. She knelt down at the door and made her way to the corner. She turned and made slow movements in search for anything that she could use to pick the lock. Her foot knocked something and a pinging sound travelled along the wooden floors, behind her. She turned and searched for whatever it was, desperate to escape. She fell onto the floor on her side. Her head hit the wooden planks with a thud. Her heart beat rapidly, as pain shot through her head. As she laid on the floor, she heard splashing underneath her. She was right, she was in an abandoned boat shed on one of the piers. She pulled herself up and her luck returned, when she found the item that she had kicked earlier. It was bigger than she had thought, she felt it in her hands, trying to work out what it was. She smiled when she concluded that it was an allen key. She searched for the join between the planks of wood and began work in prying them apart. It was her only hope for escape.

**_Moss Beach…_**

Natalie Walker cried when she held her daughter in her arms. She brushed her lips onto her forehead, as her emotions flooded through her body. "Hello, my sweet beautiful girl. Daddy's going to be surprised to see you." She stared up at her mother with her cerulean eyes, her fair hair still matted to her scalp. She took Natalie's breath away, when they locked eyes for the first time. "Mommy loves you very much." Her daughter nuzzled her breast in search for the nipple and soon found it and latched on. Although she was a month early, she was happy to be out in the big wide world, sucking milk from her mother. Natalie burped her and held her tight, afraid of losing her.

The midwife came over to take her, but Natalie refused. "I need to clean her up. I'll bring her back soon." She relented, kissing her daughter again. "Have you chosen a name for her yet?"

"I was waiting for…" Natalie looked sad, as she missed Callen so much. She had hoped he would have been home before now. She shook her head as tears streamed down her face.

"Have a shower, while I clean her up." The midwife left with the youngest member of the Walker family, safely in her hands.

**_Travis Air Force Base…_**

Five hours was too long for Callen and his team to reach San Francisco, but they had to get there without alerting Janvier of their arrival. The sun had gone down behind the mountains that edge the coast on the north shore. As Callen touched the ground, he fell to his knees as a new sound came to him. The sound of a baby crying. He shook his head, thinking he was going mad. He tried to refocus on Bronte, to see if he could get in touch with her now that he had arrived in California. He felt cold and shivered, but wasn't sure if it was him or Bronte. _Daddy's coming, sweetheart._

Sam pulled Callen up off the tarmac and led him to the silver SUV that Hetty had arranged for them. He stared out the tinted windows as they continued the journey south and then west, for downtown San Francisco.

**_Downtown San Francisco…_**

Gibbs walked around the Palace of Fine Arts, searching for clues for where Janvier had taken his daughter. Ellie Bishop handed Bronte's cell and watch over to him. "I took photos of where they were left and any footprints left. Abby's got them."

"We know he's got her, there's not doubt about that." He wasn't angry at Bishop, but himself. It was his plan to leave his granddaughter at UCSF, in hope to end Janvier. It was his fault that Bronte had been taken. "I don't blame you." He looked over to her and met with her hazel coloured eyes. "This was my plan, I take full responsibility for everything that's happens to her." His grief remained in his eyes as he looked up into the darkening sky. He turned and narrowed his eyes, as a silver SUV pulled up. He tilted his head as a familiar figure exited and met his glaze.

Callen walked over towards Gibbs and Bishop, he'd observed them as they pulled up. He saw the grief and desperation in his posture. He was at a loss. Callen closed his eyes and focused again. _Where are you, baby girl?_ Callen turned and looked towards the bay. He furrowed his brow as he scanned the area. He pulled out the cell in his rear jeans' pocket and dialled Eric. 'Eric, it's Callen. Have you found anything of the van yet?"

Eric began to shake his head, when kaleidoscope came to his rescue. "Just found it, Callen. He headed east, along Marina Boulevard and continued onto Bay street to the Embarcadero, where he headed south. He pulled into Pier 36, which has been abandoned for the past two years. He left there five hours ago and hasn't returned since."

"Keep an eye out. It's where he's taken Bronte. Thanks, Eric." Callen disconnected the call and looked to his team. We need to get to Pier 36."

Gibbs and Bishop walked over and picked up the urgency in Callen's voice. "Eric traced the van from here to Pier 36, off the Embarcadero." After seven months apart, there was no time for a reunion of the two blue eyed agents. The life of their daughter and granddaughter hung in the balance of them getting to her in time.

They climbed into their vehicles and headed for Pier 36, each getting their weapons ready. None of them knew what they would find when they got there.

**_Pier 36…_**

_Come on Lex, you can do it. _Lexi's hands were throbbing from the grazes that tore her skin, as she pried the planks apart. After what seemed like an eternity to her, she finally made a hole in the floor. She had no idea which direction or how far she had to swim. She paced the floor once again, to measure the distance. She tried to figure out which direction she needed to swim and hold her breath. She listened intently on any sounds and was pleased to hear traffic to her right. _Okay Lex, you need to swim straight ahead. You can swim twenty-five metres underwater as a dare, so you can do this. _She braced herself for the freezing temperature of the water below her. She decided to jump in, she had no idea when Janvier would return. Now was her chance for escape. She took a deep breath and jumped. Her body went into shock from the ice cold water, wishing it was summer and not winter. She refocused her thoughts on the direction and swam for her life.

Three vehicles turned left into the car park on Pier 36, triggering the explosives that Janvier had meticulously installed inside the building. Bright flashes of light burst from the abandoned building as the vehicles screeched to a stop and reversed back from the explosion. They ducked down as glass shattered all around the building, vibrating the foundations of the pier.

"No! No! No!" Callen shouted as he dragged himself out of the SUV. He ran down the side of the road, hoping, praying that his baby girl wasn't inside the disused boat shed, as it went up in flames. Gibbs sat in his car in shock over the explosion. He watched the building collapse in front of him, the guilt he felt at that moment pained him deeply. In disbelief he climbed out of his truck, his eyes fixed on the flames in front of him.

The vibrations from the chain of explosions sent ripples into the water. Lexi fought hard to keep swimming and saw the flames from underneath. She pulled herself to the surface, realising that she had made it past the pier. She gasped for air as her head cleared the water. She turned and saw the flames and realised that the building she'd been trapped in, had exploded. It shouldn't have surprised her, knowing what Janvier had done in the past. The times he had exploded buildings and cars to kill people, she should have known that he would pull a trick like this one. It proved to her that her life had never mattered to the Frenchman. He only saw her as a means to get to her dad. She looked over to her left and saw three cars parked nearby and the occupants stood in shock along the side of the road. She shivered and knew that she needed to get out of the water quickly. Her arms and legs were fast becoming numb. She used all of her strength, as she made her way to the pontoon that belonged to the next pier. She pulled herself up onto the wooden platform, relieved to be out of the cold water. But the night air did nothing to warm her up. _I need to keep moving._

Nell was the first to spot the figure on the pontoon. She moved closer towards to get a better look. Kensi noticed Nell's movements and saw the figure too. It was dark, so they had no idea who it was, or if their eyes were playing tricks on them. But before Kensi could tell Deeks, Nell was running towards the figure. She bolted as fast as her legs would allow her as she arrived on Pier 38. Kensi quickly followed, scanning the area around them, for any threats. Relief flooded Nell's system when her hopes had been realised. "Lexi, are you okay?" She hugged the girl, who was shivering from the cold.

"N..e..l..l" Lexi stuttered as she continued to shiver. Nell pulled her coat off her and wrapped it around the younger woman. "W..h..a..t a..r..e y..o..u d..o..i..n..g h..e..r..e?" She continued to shiver. "S..o c..o..l..d."

Kensi arrived at that moment and pulled Lexi to standing position. "Can you walk?"

Lexi nodded, thankful that Nell and Kensi had seen her. Callen's breath hitched as he turned and saw Kensi and Nell holding someone. He blinked his eyes. "Bron?" He ran towards her, as fast as his legs would let him.

She looked up, surprise written across her face, seeing her father there. "Dad!" She ran towards him and wrapped her arms around him, as he did the same with her.

Gibbs heart beat rapidly increased as joy entered him again. Seeing his granddaughter alive spurred him on, as he walked swiftly over to her. "Bronte."

Bronte shivered as she pulled her grandpa into their hug. Gibbs wrapped his arms around her and Callen, as relief surged through him. The three stood there in their hug, relishing the moment of being reunited. "We need to get your into some dry clothes." Gibbs eventually told her. She nodded and followed him to the truck.

Callen went to leave with them, but then stopped. "Where is he?"

"In an apartment just around the corner from here." Bronte revealed. She saw the determination on his face in killing the bastard.

"You know where he's been living?" He looked concerned over to Gibbs.

"She's become friendly with Adeline, in hope to draw him out." Gibbs saw the glare Callen gave him. "I hold all the blame for this mess on my shoulders. I asked her to. It was too risky to let Janvier know that we were onto him."

"I think it's too late for that." Callen growled. "Show me where he is." His eyes turned a steely blue, with a hatred that he only showed when he was really angry.

Gibbs nodded and started the engine, driving around the corner. He pulled the truck up outside Janvier's apartment, with the others following. Sam knew his partner was angry and worried over what he would do next. He quickly jumped out of the SUV and followed him.

Callen turned and looked intently at him. "What are you doing?"

"Making sure I hold my end of the bargain with Hetty. That you don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed." Sam told him seriously, as Deeks, Kensi and Nell stood beside him also.

Callen nodded and turned to Gibbs. "Stay here with Bron. Make sure she remains safe." Gibbs nodded, knowing that he had to let Callen do this his way.

Owen Granger walked over to Gibbs and placed his hand on his shoulder. "We all make decisions that we think at the time are the right thing to do. But with hindsight or the consequences of those decisions coming back to haunt us forever, we feel the burden of our decisions." He looked seriously at Gibbs. "Don't hold yourself prisoner to your decisions, Gibbs. She's safe, that's all that matters."

Gibbs smiled over to Owen, whom he knew had learned from his own life's lessons and passed on what he had learned. "You're right, Owen. Welcome back to the fold." He shook his hands, pleased to see him again.

They sat in the truck as they waited for Callen and his team to return. Bronte sat in the rear seat, wrapped up warm in a blanket. "Dad's going to be okay, isn't he grandpa?"

"He has his team with him, he'll be fine." Gibbs reassured her.

Callen, Sam, Nell, Kensi and Deeks crept quietly up to the first floor of the Edgewater building, making sure that no other residents saw them. The door next to their apartments creaked open and Callen narrowed his eyes in wonder, at the sight of two NCIS agents. They nodded and joined them in backing him up. Kathy knocked on Janvier's door, pretending to need some sugar.

Adel opened the door and welcomed her neighbour inside. Kathy looked around to see if Janvier was inside. They had seen him return hours earlier, but after his previous escape, they couldn't just go on that knowledge. "Whose at the door, Adel?"

"Just Kathy, our neighbour, père." They had confirmation that Janvier was inside. Kathy placed her fingers to her lips to ask Adel to remain quiet and led her out of the apartment to theirs next door. The look on her face at the number of agents outside, showed that she had no idea of the evil that her father had done.

Once she was settled into Kathy and Brad's apartment, the agents moved in swiftly and quietly. Callen and the team checked all room, except for the master bedroom. Callen signalled to his partner and then looked over to the rest of the team. They were ready to end this, once and for all.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hunting Season**

_Disclaimer: NCISLA characters belong to Shane Brennan. All original characters and this story are mine._

* * *

**Chapter 8**

_**San Francisco**_

Callen froze as thoughts of the previous events involving Marcel Janvier returned to the forefront of his mind. The dozens of explosions suddenly made Callen want to run. Run as far away from his nemesis as possible. He looked over to Sam and his partner saw the fear in his eyes. He grabbed Sam's arm and urged him and the rest of the team to bolt out of the apartment. They managed to reach the door of the fire escape, before the apartment exploded. Flames similar to that from Pier 36 came bolting out from apartment 509, rocking the whole building. Kathy emerged, thinking that they were still inside Janvier's apartment, relieved to see them safe down the hall.

Adeline, Janvier's daughter, followed Kathy out and screamed her father's name as horror consumed her. "Père! Père!"

Kathy held her back and consoled her.

Adel turned to Callen and the other agents. "What did you do?"

"We did nothing. It was your father who tried to blow us all up." Nell tried to appease the young woman.

She shook her head. "No! I don't understand. He's a kind man."

Bronte ran up the stairs, followed by Gibbs and Granger, fear from the explosion rippled through them. She ran to her father and hugged him. "Daddy!"

Callen kissed her on the forehead and held onto her tight. It had been a close encounter, but Janvier had run out of new moves. He knew his form of horror, a slit throat or to blow people up. Janvier had kiiled himself but thankfully, took no one with him.

Adel was beside herself. Bronte unwrapped herself from her dad and walked over to her friend. "Adel, he tried to kill me and my family. He was using you to get to me. If you had stayed inside the apartment, you would be dead too. Can't you see it?"

The French girl looked disorientated as she looked from Bronte and back to the apartment. She wanted to find her père, but the agents wouldn't let her go. "It's not safe."

The rest of the night was a blur for all of them. Fire trucks and police arrived to take their statements. Kathy and Brad took Adel with them to the police station and hoped that they could find some temporary accommodation, until she could return home to Paris. They all knew that she was a sweet girl unlike her father, and Bronte had come to like her a great deal.

Gibbs drove them over the mountain and down the coastal road, stopping at Seton Medical Centre. "We've just got to pop in here."

Ryan's face lit up when he saw his grandpa, sister and father enter the waiting room. Gracie, Zac and Mia woke up from Ryan's excitement from seeing them all safe. He hugged his sister first, thankful that she had returned to the family safe, and then his dad. "We've all missed you so much."

"I've missed you all too." Callen pulled all four kids into his arms and hugged them. He looked over at Gracie and then back to his son. "Is there something you've got to tell me, son?"

Ryan grinned from ear to ear. "You're gonna be a grandpa in two months time, Dad."

Callen hugged his son again and walked over to Gracie to congratulate her and welcome her into the family.

"I've asked Gracie to marry me."

So much had happened over the past seven months, Callen realised, and knew he had a lot of catching up to do.

"But I told her I had to wait till you came home and that it was safe for me to marry her as my real self."

Tears fell down Callen's cheeks. "It's safe now. No more need to live a lie, Thomas Callen Granger." He smiled through his tears as he turned to look for his father. Owen stood awkwardly to the rear, but Callen insisted he came over. "We're a real family now, son. Three generations on both sides." He pulled his father into the hug with his children. Now he had his father back in his life, he was never going to let him go again.

"Soon to be four," Gibbs proudly added.

"Why are you all here?" Bronte asked, curiously.

"Grandpa told us not to leave here until he returned. We were so worried over you," Ryan explained.

"But why here at Seton Medical Centre?" Bronte asked a second time.

Callen's curiousness piqued at the question.

"Mom went into labour, four weeks early," Ryan grinned from ear to ear.

Callen furrowed his brow at the news. His head was spinning from all of the events of that day. It had been a long journey on top of the fear of losing Bronte and then for their own lives.

Ryan laughed. "You've got a lot of explaining to do, Dad," he jested. "You left Mom pregnant when you went away. Congratulations!"

Callen looked into his son's matching blue eyes. Tom had grown up into a man over the past seven months. "Where is she?" He had missed Ava so much.

"Come with me." Ryan led Callen, Bronte and both grandpas through the corridor to where their mom laid sleeping. Beside her in a crib, slept the newest addition to the family.

Callen moved forward, amazed by what he had come home to. Drama and his family expanding. The baby opened her eyes and met her daddy for the first time. "She's so beautiful. Can I hold her?" He looked to his dad, unsure of himself.

"Sit down with her," Owen suggested. He was still concerned over his son's wellbeing, from the trip and the events of that evening.

Callen sat and held his daughter for the first time. "So it was you who I heard crying when I hopped off the plane. Yes, that's right, I heard you."

Ava stirred in the bed, thinking she was dreaming. "G?" She opened her eyes and sat up too fast when she realised it was no dream.

Callen looked lovingly over to her and smiled through tears. "She's beautiful, Av. Just perfect."

"Just like Bronte was when she was born." Ava smiled at her oldest children. "So much like you, G." It didn't matter to her that none of their children looked like her, she had pieces of G. Callen with her, whether or not he was there. Jesse was growing up more like Matt everyday and Kelly continued to blossom, like her dead sister. As far as she was concerned, she felt complete.

Callen stood and carefully walked over to the bed, sitting down beside her. "What's her name?"

"She doesn't have one,"

Callen frowned.

"I was waiting for you," she added.

Callen leaned over and captured her lips with his. "I love you, Ava. Will you marry me?" It was a simple proposal, but one that Ava had waited for over twenty years to hear. He pulled a ring out of his pocket, which he'd chosen it in Chicago with the help of his dad.

"Yes, G. I will marry you." She wrapped her arms around him and kissed him again. "Welcome home."

_**Half Moon Bay — four month later**_

There was excitement buzzing in the air around the sea side town of Half Moon Bay. Summer had returned and all the trees and flowers were in full display. Callen Granger looked nervous, as he stood with Sam, Tom and Jesse by his side on the beach. A quartet of violinists were playing nearby in anticipation of the union of Callen and Ava. He turned and saw Kelly and Bronte in cornflower blue dresses standing at the end of the isle, holding an assortment of coloured roses. Bronte held her baby sister, Macey, and began the march down the isle towards their dad. Ava appeared with her father at her side, who stood proud beside her, relieved that this day had finally come. The joining in marriage of his daughter and the man whom he had regarded as a son for over twenty years.

Owen, Hetty and Leon stood in the rows of chairs along with the L.A, D.C and San Francisco teams, Sam's family, Sandra and their friends from Half Moon Bay. Ava's mom stood beside Owen, happy that her family were now safe and together once more. The past two years had thrown them all out of balance and tested them in more ways than any of them had anticipated, but they had become stronger as a result of their trial.

Gracie smiled over at Tom, holding their son, Ryan Granger in her hands. Her parents and sister sat with her as they watched the marriage ceremony take place before them. They were getting married in a month's time, and they couldn't wait.

Everyone who meant anything to Callen and Ava, were there and no one wanted to miss this event. It was about time Callen tied the knot and became a family with Ava and their children. Sam joked that it took him to become a grandpa to finally make the jump, but they all knew it had nothing to do with it. It was the second chance he had been given that he wasn't going to screw up.

"In the power given to me, by the State of California, I now pronounce you man and wife."

Callen lowered his head and lifted Ava's chin to meet him half way. "I love you, Ava Granger." He was tender in his first kiss as her husband, but deepened it as his love for her was poured out in the kiss.

Cheers rang out from the guests on the beach, with great joy for this couple. Big decisions had been made since Callen's return. Where they would live, now that it was safe for them to be themselves. Birth certificates and drivers licenses were changed to add in their new family name of Granger. It had been hard for Callen, knowing that Ava and their children had made a good life for themselves in Half Moon Bay, tearring them away to Los Angeles didn't seem fair. Instead, he had put in a transfer request for the San Francisco office and was surprised when Director Vance agreed, on the proviso that the rest of his team transferred together. The San Francisco team were moving south to Los Angeles, and Hetty was retiring, with Owen as her replacement, in the San Francisco office. Gibbs handed in his retirement notice, which Leon accepted, much to the D.C. team's loss, however his team all understood and they promised to visit as often as they could.

Life couldn't get any better than this for the Granger family. Bronte waved to a figure which stood on the dunes, pleased her friend had made it. Adel watched the wedding from a distance, pleased that her father hadn't succeeded in killing the family on the beach. She and Bronte had become good friends over the past nine months and although she was leaving for Paris soon, Bronte had promised to visit her over there in August. Bronte had made Callen proud, in more ways than one. Her courage to escape had saved her life proving that she was the true hero in the whole Janvier debacle. She befriended his daughter and showed kindness even with the knowledge of who she was. Her gut instinct that she had inherited from her father proved well, and she saw Adel for who she really was. A sweet girl who only wanted to make friends and please those around her. Bronte had asked Adel what it was that she really wanted to be, and she told her a dessert chef. "Well that's what you will do then." She had encouraged her friend to follow her own dreams. "With all the money that your père has left you, you'll be able to open up your own restaurant. We'll come and visit you there and taste your creations."

"You really are a true friend, Bronte." Adel had hugged her firmly, holding on to the best friend that she had ever had, in all of her almost nineteen years.

Hetty had finally reached Nate who had come to San Francisco to chat with Adeline and had made good progress with her. Her life looked hopeful, now that she had her dreams made a reality. She was starting cooking school in Paris in the fall and was moving into her own place nearby.

Callen held Ava tight in his arms, taking in the moment. The sun shone brightly over them, warming their bodies and heart. Macey let out a cry, making them laugh and she was handed over to her parents. Happy faces beamed out as the photographer snapped shots of the happy occasion, for them to look back on in many years to come.

The End!


End file.
